Kiss or Kill
by NocturnalAstroMonkey
Summary: She came to the conclusion that Edward Cullen was, simply put, an idiot douche bag and that there was in fact nothing wrong with her... Rated M for future chapters
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do NOT own Twilight**

When Edward had left her, she'd been devastated and rightfully so; this was after all the person she'd planned on spending eternity with. But after a few months of wallowing in misery and wondering why she hadn't been good enough, she finally realized just how stupid she'd been. And once the fog that had been clouding her brain disappeared she started to see Edward Cullen and her relationship with him in a whole new light. She came to the conclusion that Edward Cullen was, simply put, an idiot douche bag and that there was in fact nothing wrong with her. She realized how foolish and naive it had been to latch onto him and his family the way that she had and she really should have seen the ending coming, perhaps not the particular ending that took place, but nonetheless she should have known that he would someday leave her.

* * *

Once she looked back on all the things that had taken place during her relationship with Edward, she begun to see just how wrong for each other they were. For starters there was the fact that he was a vampire and she was human, and not just any old average human…but a human who happened to be his 'singer'; that should have been enough to send her running for the hills but she'd done the exact opposite. She also realized that her being with Edward had forced a wedge between her and Charlie, they hadn't been extremely close but still, being with Edward had created a lot of secrecy and lying; all of which Bella had never really been comfortable with, but she'd done it for Edward so that they could be together. And upon this particular conclusion she realized she wasn't just stupid….she was a complete and utter idiot. She was giving up so much to be with Edward, keeping secrets and lying to everyone outside of the Cullen's and what had Edward given up? What secrets did he have to keep? What lies did he have to tell? Sure there was the whole vampire thing he couldn't tell the humans about but other than that there was nothing he'd had to keep secret. But Bella, well she pretty much ditched her friends because there was so much about her relationship with Edward that she just couldn't talk about. At least within in the walls of his home, Edward was free to tell his family any and everything, but Bella didn't have that same luxury. She couldn't tell Charlie what Edward really was, she always had to make excuses for why he acted a certain way or why he could never come to dinner. Then she began to think on what a future with Edward would have meant and she began to feel even more idiotic, if that was even possible.

A future with Edward Cullen meant that Bella would've had to give up everything and everyone. All those things and people that had made Isabella Swan who she was would no longer be a part of her. She would've had to give up her parents, they would've spent the rest of their lives wondering what had happened to their daughter; they would've had to grieve for the loss of their only child while never really knowing where she'd gone or what had happened to her. How could she have been so willing to do that to them; to cause them such pain? In truth she'd never really stopped to think on it all. All she had been able to see was Edward Cullen. And then it really hit her, Edward had never and would never have to give up anything at all to be with her. There wouldn't be sacrifices or any losses for him…..but for her; sacrifices and losses were all there were. Sure Edward Cullen had been the prize at the end, but now when she thought about it…Edward Cullen was the crappiest prize ever. In fact, he was no prize at all.

* * *

**A/N: Paul will most likely come in sometime in chapter 3. Bella will be spending time with Jake; however, I'll kind of be skipping over the whole mopey/zombie/falling apart Bella**. **This chapter here is my alternative to that**. **Future chapters will be longer. Review if you'd like.**


	2. Chapter 2

After Bella had her revelation she decided it was high time things, mainly her, got back to normal or as normal as could be after having been exposed to vampires. The first thing on her list of things to do was to have a talk with Charlie. Of course she couldn't really tell him everything, but she figured there had to be a way to put his mind at ease and let him see that 'Zombie Bella' was gone for good; and what better way to start things then by cooking him a nice big steak for dinner. So she made a list of all the things she'd need and headed out to the grocery store.

After a few slip and falls and nearly running her truck off the road, she finally made it to the grocery store and was met with quite a few surprised stares. She didn't mind at first, but then every time someone would pass her they'd whisper about her and she just wanted to turn to them and say 'You do know I can hear you.' She eventually became so annoyed with the whispers and stares that she almost gave up and went home but then she reminded herself this was for Charlie, so she pressed on and tried to ignore everyone around her.

When she made it to the checkout counter she was very disappointed and annoyed to find that Jessica Stanley was the cashier.

"Bella?" Jessica asked as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing

"Yes Jessica?"

"Are the Cullen's back?"

"No….Why would you think that?" Bella asked completely confused by that question

"Well this is the first time anyone has seen you in months and you don't look all 'zombie' like, so I figured the Cullen's had to be back and that Edward had taken you back."

For a moment Bella just stared at her, torn between bitching her out and giving a polite response. Of course Jessica took Bella's silence as an opportunity to continue her babbling.

"I completely understand why you were so depressed though. I mean it was Edward Cullen, I don't know how you didn't just kill yourself; I would've. Being dumped by Edward Cullen, that's just like the worst thing ever!"

"You know Jessica I really feel sorry for you." Bella finally replied and Jessica's only response was a blank stare

"If you think being dumped by Edward Cullen is the 'worst thing ever' you really are dumber than I thought and quite pathetic. And let's be honest Jessica….the only reason you ever really talked to me was because Edward took an interest in me when he hadn't so much as glanced at anyone else in the last three years; you were just hoping for gossip or someway in so that you could come along and swoop him up. And the only reason you're talking to me now is because you're hoping I'll give you some sort of juicy information on the Cullen's or myself and you'll be able to go back to school and tell everyone all about it. But how about you tell them this: that you, Jessica Stanley, are a self absorbed shallow bitch whose only aspiration in life was to be noticed by Edward Cullen."

Jessica just stood there gaping like a fish and those who had been close enough to hear what Bella said just stood watching; waiting to see how Jessica would respond.

"Could you hurry it up, I don't have all day you know." Bella sighed

Jessica turned as red as her caked on make-up would allow before quickly ringing up the rest of Bella's groceries. And Bella thought that perhaps she should feel bad for talking to Jessica that way, but really she felt great; it was sort of freeing to say those things to Jessica.

The events at the grocery store really sparked something in Bella and she realized she'd like the way she felt when she'd said those things to Jessica; she liked the fact that she hadn't held back and decided that maybe it was time for her to make some changes.

* * *

When Charlie came home to find Bella in the kitchen cooking he actually wondered if he'd walked into the wrong house.

"Bella?" He asked warily as he discarded his gun belt on the kitchen table.

"Hi Dad. I'm making Steak, homemade mashed potatoes and some green beans for dinner. Oh and I also made a cobbler for desert." She smiled at him before turning back to the stove

Charlie just stared at her wondering what on earth had happened while he'd been at work.

"Bella you feeling ok?"

"I'm feeling great Dad. But I would like to talk to you after dinner; you know clear the air so to speak."

"Umm, ok…I'll just uh…go wash up."

"Ok. I'll call you when it's done." She replied

Her dad headed up the stairs muttering something about a twilight zone and confusing teenagers.

* * *

Dinner turned out great and Charlie was so happy that he hadn't had to order take out or go the diner for dinner again, but throughout the whole dinner he wondered what it was Bella wanted to talk about. He got so anxious in fact, that he decided to skip desert in favor of hearing what Bella had to say.

"Well Dad I just wanted to say that I'm so sorry about the way I've been acting these last few months. I realize I worried you and Mom a lot and that was really unfair of me. And I'd like to explain why I reacted so badly to the Cullen's leaving."

"I admit I'm curious but you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to Bella."

"But I do want to tell you. Besides, you're my Dad you deserve to know these kinds of things. You see Edward was the first boyfriend I'd ever had, really the first guy who'd ever shown any genuine interest in me."

"What about the Mike guy, he liked you?"

"That was different. He was like a puppy following around a shiny new toy. But with Edward, it was like he was actually interested in me as a person. And so it kind of surprised me that he was so interested but it was flattering and felt nice to have a guy look at me and want me like Edward did. But I realize now I allowed myself to be so enthralled with Edward and his family that I overlooked his many flaws. He was different than any guy I ever met and I guess that was part of the attraction you know…he was mysterious. And then of course everyone was saying how he hadn't paid attention to any of the girls at Forks high, so it made me feel special that I'd caught his interest. So because of all this I latched onto him and by extension his family and I guess you could say I developed a very unhealthy fascination with them; although at the time I didn't see it that way."

"You know what….I think I'll take that cobbler and a beer." Charlie said realizing that this wasn't going to be a short story and figuring if nothing else the beer would help him relax

"Ok. Just, uh….let me know when you're ready for me to continue." Bella replied feeling more than ready to get everything off her chest and out in the open, minus the vampire bit of course

After Charlie was settled back at the table he took a bite of cobbler, made an appreciative hum and gestured for Bella to continue.

"I got pulled in by them and suddenly I was allowing him to influence my decisions and then it turned into to him controlling pretty much every aspect of my life, and of course I didn't see it as him controlling me back then. I thought he was making decisions and telling me what to do because he loved me but it was weird because I didn't really like it but I thought I loved him and that he loved me and I was afraid of losing him so I didn't really say anything about it. And of course Alice and I had become best friends and I figured that if I wasn't dating Edward anymore then she wouldn't be my friend anymore. Which I know probably sounds completely ridiculous and stupid to you, but well it made complete sense to me then. Then he started talking about the future and making all kinds of plans for it and I wanted to be with him so I went along with it all."

"Ok, I'm following you so far I guess."

"Good. Now please don't be mad about this next part. You remember when I told you I was leaving and going back to Phoenix?"

"Yea; you and Edward had a fight and broke up and,"

"Actually that's not what really happened."

"What do you mean?"

Bella had to think very carefully about what she said next, there was no way she could tell her father the whole truth because the whole truth had everything to do with vampires, which was the one thing she couldn't tell him about.

"Well that whole fight and break up thing was staged. See Edward wanted us to go away together and I knew you'd never agree to it so he came up with the plan to stage a break up and I would say something that I knew would get you to let me leave; which I'm really sorry for by the way, I didn't really want to say those things but it was the only thing I could think of it. So after I left here I went to Edwards and we just started driving, we ended up in Phoenix but once I got there I got scared and decided that maybe I should just come back home. Then Edward and I got into that fight and well you know what happened from there. After that things were just different between us and then that day he took me into the woods. He said such awful things and then he just ran off and left me there but I tried to follow him and only ended up getting lost. I'd gotten so used to the idea of a future with Edward and I hadn't thought of much else outside of that so when he left that future was ripped away from me and I just didn't know what to do. And I convinced myself that he really loved me and that he was going to back. But I realize now that a lot of the things I thought just weren't true." Finally finished with her story she sat there fidgeting, waiting for Charlie's reaction to what he'd heard

Charlie was speechless. How had he missed all of this? Was he really that out of touch with his daughter or was she just that good had hiding things? He wanted to be angry with her for lying and running off with Edward like that but he figured that in the grand scheme of things being angry wouldn't change what had happened and it wouldn't help matters now. He wished he had something profound to say after all that she'd just told him but he was coming up with nothing. Weren't parents supposed to have something great and full of wisdom to say in moments like this?

"Bella I'm glad that you've told me all of this but of course I'm also upset that you kept it from me."

"I really am sorry Dad. I realize now how selfish and stupid I was and I'm sorry I made you worry so much. But I promise things are going to be different now."

"I'm happy to hear that Bells. Now it's getting late and I'm supposed to go fishing in the morning so what do you say we call it a night." Charlie suggested

"Sure. I think maybe I'll go see Jake tomorrow."

"That's a great idea; he's been asking about you. I think Jake would be good for you."

"Dad I'm not ready to start dating quite yet and besides Jake is like sixteen that's just weird." Bella replied making a face at the mere suggestion of it.

"I didn't say anything about you dating him. I was just saying he'd be a good friend if you'd let him."

"Oh, ummm….."

Charlie just laughed before saying goodnight and heading for the stairs.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter Bella meets Paul. Reviews are always welcome and appreciated but not necessary. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I decided to do Jacob's phasing differently than it was done in the books/movies. Jacob phased during Bella's zombie months so in my story the whole movie thing w/Mike & Jacob never happened and Sam never had to order Jacob to stay away from Bella. Bella will eventually find out about Jacob and the guys being wolves but how and when has yet to be determined.**

* * *

When Charlie woke up at 6:30 the next morning he was surprised to hear sounds coming from downstairs, and more specifically the kitchen.

"Bella?" He called out as he descended the stairs

"In the kitchen Dad."

Charlie walked into the kitchen to find the counters as well as table covered in food.

"Umm, Bella? What's with all this food?"

"Well, I made some sandwiches and snacks for you to take with you. And then I thought I'd make some food for Jacob and me today, then I decided to make extra just in case any of his friends showed up. Then I thought it would be nice to have dinner down on the Rez tonight with Jake and Billy, so I made food for that. Then I figured it had to be hard for Billy to really get around in the kitchen and cook and I know Jake isn't much of a cook so I made some meals that could be frozen and reheated later." She replied as she flitted around the kitchen packing up the food

"That was very thoughtful of you Bella and I'm sure Billy will appreciate that." Charlie smiled, it felt so good to see Bella like this…..looking so happy and alive

Bella just smiled in reply before shoving a cooler at Charlie and telling him he should get going.

"Have fun and be safe." Charlie called as he headed out of the house

After Charlie left, Bella finished packing up all the food and writing the directions on how to reheat the dishes. Then she called Jake and told him she would be coming down close to noon. Jake of course was surprised to be hearing from Bella and asked her to repeat herself several times before he would actually believe it was in fact her he was talking to and that she was really coming to see him.

* * *

At exactly 12 noon Bella's truck came to a stop outside of Jacob's house and before she could even cut the truck off her door was being ripped open and she was pulled out and into a crushing hug.

"BELLA!"

Shocked and unable to breathe, Bella pounded on Jacob's back trying to signal that he needed to let go.

"Sorry Bells! It's just so good to see you." Jacob said flashing a grin that said he wasn't sorry at all

Once Jacob had put her down, Bella took a step back and really looked at him.

"Geesh Jake, what have you been eating? You're huge!" She exclaimed taking in all the changes that he had apparently under gone during her zombie months

"It's all in the gene's baby." He replied flashing another grin while making his pecks jump, which of course sent Bella into a fit of giggles

"Is this how you get girls?" She laughed

"I'll have you know I'm a bonafide ladies man."Of course he could only keep a straight face for all of two seconds before both him and Bella dissolved into fits of laughter

After a few minutes the laughter stopped and once they managed to catch their breath, Jacob said

"I smell food!"

"Uh, yeah. I made some stuff for us to eat for lunch and snack on, I also made dinner for tonight and some stuff for you and Billy to freeze and reheat later."

"AWESOME!" Jacob cheered before he began pulling food out of the truck and carrying it into the house.

* * *

Once all the food had been brought into the house and most of it put away Jacob and Bella sat down to eat the lunch she'd prepared.

"So umm, are you ok now?" Jacob asked once he had devoured most of his food

"Not completely, but I'm definitely on my way there."

"Good. You know you had a lot of us worried? It sucked seeing you like that especially over such a douche. I mean really…what did you even see that guy?" He asked finishing off the food on his plate and then going for Bella's

"Can we just chalk it up to me being a stupid teenage girl and leave it at that?" Bella asked not feeling entirely comfortable with telling Jacob what she'd told Charlie

"Sure Sure….for now." He answered

"Good enough I guess." She sighed

While Bella was definitely grateful that Jacob had dropped the subject for now, she knew it wouldn't be long before he brought it up again. And despite how much Jacob wanted to know what had really gone on, Bella wasn't sure he actually had a right to know, at least not yet. Sure they'd been friends when they were younger but since she'd returned to Forks they'd been nothing more than casual acquaintances and not only that but Jacob was only sixteen. There was no doubt that Jacob was physically mature, but Bella doubted that he had the emotional maturity to really be able to understand what had gone on with her and Edward.

"The weather's pretty decent, what do you say we head down to the beach?" Jacob suggested

"Sure, I didn't bring a bathing suit though so I won't be getting in the water."

"We'll see about that." Jacob grinned as he led her out of the house

* * *

It took longer than it should have to reach the beach due to Bella's clumsiness and inability to walk without falling. Jacob offered to carry her but Bella refused saying that she was perfectly capable of walking even if she did trip over every little thing.

As soon as their feet touched the sand Jacob took off for the water and Bella settled on a piece of driftwood to watch him. Sitting there on the beach Bella realized that this was the first time in a long time that she'd felt content and even happy. There was just something about being in La Push that brought a sense of calm and peace to Bella that she had never really found anywhere else and she didn't really care to know why, she was just happy to enjoy it.

* * *

Bella had been in a daze for quite some time and consequently hadn't noticed two men approaching her

"Well, well if it isn't the leech lover."

"Excuse me?" Bella asked snapping out of her trance

"You heard me." He sneered

"First of all what is a 'leech'? And second of all who are you."

"Bella, this is Paul and I'm Sam. I found you in the woods that night."

"Oh. Umm, thanks for that." She replied

"You're welcome. So what are you doing here?" Sam asked while sending a glare in Paul's direction

"I'm hanging out with Jacob."

"So your precious leeches leave you and suddenly Jacob's good enough for you." Paul sneered

"I'm sorry have we met before? I'm pretty sure we haven't but you seem to harbor an unnatural amount of dislike for me which makes no sense considering you don't actually know me. And again what is a leech?"

"No need to play dumb. I know all about the Cullen's."

"Oh really? Then please enlighten me." Bella replied glaring up at him

Just as Paul was about to offer what was sure to be a completely asinine and hateful reply, Jacob came up and sat down beside Bella.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?"

"You know them?" Bella asked

"Yep."

"Guess that means I can't just tell them to go away." Bella sighed

"Huh?"

"Well Sam doesn't seem so bad but that one there," She said pointing to Paul

"I could've gone my entire life without ever having met him."

"The feelings mutual." Paul sneered in reply

"Did I miss something?" Jacob asked looking between Paul and Bella

"Paul was just being himself." Sam offered as an explanation

"Well that explains everything." Jake laughed before turning to Bella

"Don't worry Bells; his bark is bigger than his bite."

"Well can we get him a mussel so I don't have to hear him bark? Maybe a collar and leash while we're at it; it really isn't fair to the general public to let him roam freely."

"Why you little, "Paul growled

"What? Leech lover? Is that what you were going to say? Because if it is you really need to come up with something more original. Although your brain probably isn't big enough to come up with anything better." Bella quipped

Jacob of course found the entire thing quite funny at least until Paul growled and began to shake.

"Paul, calm down." Sam ordered

Sam's order was followed by an awkward and tension filled silence which Jake decided to break the only way he knew how.

"You guys hungry? Bella made a ton of food."

"I could eat." Sam replied

"Well let's head back to my house." Jacob said before standing and tossing Bella over his shoulder

"JACOB BLACK PUT ME DOWN!" She screamed pounding on his back

"I'm hungry woman and it'll take too long to get there if I let you walk." He said tightening his grip so that her wiggling wouldn't cause him to accidentally drop her.

Sam followed behind them, talking to Paul low enough so that Bella wouldn't be able to hear.

"You need to control yourself Paul. You could've exposed us back there."

"She doesn't belong here Sam. And you know it's only a matter of time before Jacob ends up telling her anyway."

"Jacob knows that he can't tell her but I'll give him an alpha order if I have to. In the mean time try to stay calm and be nice."

Paul looked at Sam as if he'd just said the most ludicrous thing ever.

"Be nice? To her?"

"Yes."

* * *

Once they reached the house they all piled into the kitchen and Jacob put Bella down so that she could fix her a plate.

"I'm not hungry Jacob. We only ate like an hour ago."

"Well more for us then." Jacob shrugged before digging in

Bella watched fascinated as Sam and Jacob consumed what had to be an unhealthy amount of food at an alarming rate. She also kept an eye on Paul, who seemed to be inspecting every bite of food before he actually put it in his mouth.

"There's nothing wrong with the food Paul."

Paul just sneered before shoving the food into his mouth.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story/added it to their favorites/added it to their story alerts.  
**

**In case anyone is wondering, the story is currently set in late March of Bella's senior year**

* * *

After all the food was gone Paul said goodbye to Jacob and Sam but said nothing to Bella as he headed for the door.

"You're welcome Paul!" Bella shouted after him

Paul's only response was a growl and a slamming of the door.

"Who pissed in his cheerios?" Bella asked taking the seat Paul had occupied

"Umm, ewwww. And don't take it personally Paul is pretty much an ass to everyone." Jacob answered

"Hmph…."

"Well I've got to get going. Thanks for the food Bella. Jacob, I'll see you later." Sam said before depositing his dishes into the sink and exiting the house

"Now what?" Jacob asked turning to Bella

"Now we find some way to entertain ourselves until the old men get back for dinner."

"Well it's going to rain soon, so I guess we'll just stay inside and watch some TV." Jacob shrugged dumping his dishes in the sink

Bella wondered how Jacob knew it was going to rain, especially since the weather man had said that it was supposed to be a rain free day; but this was Forks and it wasn't at all unusual for it to rain even when the forecast hadn't called for it.

Jacob and Bella spent the next few hours flipping through channels and complaining that there wasn't actually anything on worth watching. But if they were honest neither of them minded that there was nothing on TV, they were just happy to be spending time together; Jacob because he'd had a crush on Bella pretty much his entire life and Bella…..well she was just happy for the distraction. Sure she'd come to the conclusion that Edward hadn't been that great of a guy and that their relationship had been entirely unhealthy, but none of that changed the fact that she had loved him once; that she had once envisioned a future with him.

* * *

A little after six o'clock, Billy and Charlie entered the house and greeted the two teens.

"What'd you kids do today?" Charlie asked as he began preparing the fish for the freezer

"Went down to the beach, met a couple of Jake's friends." Bella answered

"And which friends did you meet?" Billy asked wheeling into the living room

"Sam and Paul."

"Paul? Jake, you're not trying to run the girl off are you?"

"Of course not Dad." Jacob replied

"Something about this Paul guy I should know?" Charlie asked joining them in the living room

"Well there are a few things I could say about him…" Bella quipped

"He's a good guy Charlie, just comes off as a bit of an asshole." Jacob said

"A bit?" Bella scoffed

The rest of the evening passed with laughter and tales of the fishing trip. And Charlie would occasionally ask questions about Paul, trying to figure out what it was about him that had Bella scowling every time his name was mentioned.

After dinner had been eaten and the kitchen cleaned, Charlie and Bella said goodnight to the Black's and made their way home.

Once Bella had settled down for the night she reflected on the day she'd had and how much she enjoyed spending time with Jacob, minus the encounter with Paul. And she thought to herself that perhaps her dad had been right; Jacob could be a good friend and maybe a friend was exactly what she needed.

* * *

The next day was Sunday and Bella spent it doing homework and wondering how on earth she had made it through an entire semester and a half without failing miserably. She also spent a fair amount of time worrying about what school would be like now that she was no longer in her zombie stage but then she remembered the encounter she'd had with Jessica in the grocery store and how it had made her feel to stand up for herself. Upon recalling how good it had felt to say those things to Jessica she decided that she wouldn't worry about what the kids at school were thinking or saying. She came to the conclusion that most of the kids at Forks High would never really grow up and they'd spend the rest of their lives in Forks, Washington holding onto their childish mentalities and high school grudges; so in the end, their small minded thoughts and opinions were irrelevant.

* * *

**A/N: I apologize for this chapter being so short and I'll try to keep future chapters above 1,000 or 2,000 words. As always reviews are welcomed and appreciated but not necessary. If you have anything you'd like to see incorporated into the story or any ideas for Bella and Paul's next encounter than please feel free to message me. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**

* * *

**

Monday went exactly as Bella had expected it to. There were stares and whispers; Jessica and Lauren gave her nasty looks and Mike…..well…Mike was Mike. And she had never been so relieved to hear the bell that signaled it was time to go home.

She grabbed her bag and hurried to her truck as fast as she could and was extremely pleased when she made it all the way to her truck without being bombarded by Mike. But of course her luck didn't last. Just as she had climbed into her truck and was about to shut the door, a hand grabbed onto it.

"Bella, glad I caught you."

"Mike. What do you want?" Bella sighed

"Umm, I was wondering if you were going to be free this weekend."

"Why?"

"Well a bunch of us are going to the movies and I was wondering if you'd like to go."

Bella just stared at Mike wishing that she could go one day without him asking her out.

"Is it really a group thing? Or are you saying it's a group thing because you think I'll say yes if it is, but then when I show up miraculously everyone else couldn't make it and it would just be us."

Mike turned red and opened and closed his mouth a few times.

"I see. Mike I'm going to say this one time and if I ever have to repeat it I won't be so nice about it. I don't like you. I'm never going to like you. So stop asking me out and focus your attention on someone who's actually interested in you. Now I'd like to go home so if you could let go of my door please."

Mike released the door still embarrassed that Bella had not only caught onto his plan but had once again shot him down.

* * *

When Bella got home she dropped her bag at the bottom of the stairs and headed straight to her room where she collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.

"Bella…Bella…Bella"

"No little sea monkeys don't eat the bunny."

"Bella?" He called snickering at her sleep talking

Charlie's snickering finally broke Bella out of her slumber and she opened her eyes to see him standing beside her bed.

"Dad?" She mumbled

"Dinner's here."

"Ok. Be right down."

"Alright." Charlie replied

When Bella managed to wake up completely she took a look at her clock and noticed that it was almost seven o'clock which meant that she had slept for almost four hours.

* * *

"I hope pizza's ok." Charlie said as Bella entered the kitchen

"It's fine. What time did you get home?"

"Few minutes ago; I picked the pizza up on the way home."

"Hmmm." Bella replied taking a bite of her pizza

"So Bella,"

"Yes Dad?"

"About this Paul guy,"

"What about him?" She asked trying not to frown at the mere mention of his name

"Well I actually met him today and he seems like a very nice young man."

The pizza Bella had been in the process of chewing was suddenly spewed from her mouth and onto the kitchen table as well as Charlie's plate. For a moment Charlie just looked back in forth between his daughter and the pizza on his plate.

"Bella?" He asked raising an eyebrow

"Umm….sorry Dad."

"Care to explain?"

"Uh, I was surprised." She shrugged

"Surprised?" He asked dumping his food into the garbage

"Yea."

"By what exactly?"

"You referred to Paul as nice."

Charlie looked at her skeptically.

"Yes I did. Honestly Bella I don't know what you have against the guy."

"Let's just say he didn't make a very good first impression." Bella said and then she registered what Charlie had said before the whole Paul's a nice guy bit

"Wait a minute. Where did you meet Paul?"

"Down at the station."

"What did he get arrested for?"

"He didn't. He's actually one of our new deputies."

And unfortunately for Charlie the water Bella had just poured into her mouth, came right back out and landed all over him.

"Bella!" He cried

"Oh gosh! I'm sorry Dad."

"Umm it's ok. But maybe you should not eat or drink anything else while we have this conversation." He suggested

Bella just nodded her head.

"As I was saying, Paul and his friend, Jared I think his name was, are our new deputies."

"This isn't a very big town, how many deputies do you guys need?"

"Well one of the guys is retiring and the other one, he and his wife just had a baby and his wife wants to move back east to be close to her family."

"Oh."

"Yes. Now for the reason I brought up Paul in the first place." Charlie said taking a deep breath

Bella had a very bad feeling she wasn't going to like this.

"Paul is going to be kind of shadowing me for a while till he learns the ropes and stuff."

"Ok….." Bella replied not understanding where this was going

"And so I invited him over for dinner," He started but was interrupted by Bella's cry of,

"YOU WHAT?"

"I invited him for dinner so we could get acquainted and so it wouldn't be weird when we have to spend hours driving around in the cruiser." Charlie replied rubbing the back of his neck

"Ok…so take the guy out for pizza or something!"

"Bells." Charlie pleaded

"Don't Bells me!"

"It's just one night….a couple of hours."

"Oh and let me guess I'm the one that supposed to be cooking dinner?"

"Well I could cook I guess, but we both know I'm not really good at." Charlie answered

"And when is the dinner supposed to happen?" Bella asked glaring at her father

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" She cried

To say Bella was outraged would be an understatement. She was furious that not only would she have to cook for someone she'd rather feed an entire bottle of poison to, but that her father hadn't thought to talk to her about it before inviting Paul for dinner.

"I don't like you right now."

"Oh come on, it won't be that bad I'm sure."

"Hmph." She grunted

"It's just one dinner Bella."

"I'll cook but don't expect me to be nice." She said

"Thank you." Charlie smiled

Bella just glared at him before stomping up the stairs and into her room where she let out a frustrated growl as she pulled at her hair.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter...dinner with Paul.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I LOVED writing this chapter so I really hope that you all enjoy reading it.**

The next morning Bella woke up in a fantastic mood…..until she got downstairs and saw the note Charlie had left on the fridge.

_Bella,_

_Don't forget Paul's coming to dinner. There's money on the table if you need to go get anything. Have a great day._

_Charlie._

Bella's smile immediately turned into a scowl. She crumpled the note and threw it away before grabbing the money off the table and heading out the door. _'Wonder how much a bottle of poison cost'_ she wondered to herself as she got in her truck and headed to school.

As soon as she walked through doors of the school she was approached by Mike.

"Hey Bella."

"Mike." She said as she headed to her classroom

"So umm, how are you today?" He asked

"Mike," Bella said when she reached the door of her calculus class

"Yes?" He asked

"Go away." And with that she turned and entered the classroom leaving a confused Mike to stare after her

When Mike saw Bella in history class he started to approach her desk but the way she glared at him made him change his mind. He also tried to approach her at lunch but she once again warned him off with a glare.

"Is everything ok?" Angela asked Bella as they walked to their last class of the day

"My Dad invited one of the new deputies over for dinner."

"Ok…."

"I've met the guy before and let's just say his first impression sucked." Bella said

"Oh. Well I'm sure it won't be so bad." Angela tried to encourage

"I disagree." Bella grumbled

Angela just patted her back as they took their seats.

* * *

After school Bella went to the grocery store to pick up things for dinner and while she was there she got an idea.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jake, got a question."

"Umm, ok."

"What kind of desserts does Paul like?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me."

"Yes I did. But I'm just wondering why you want to know. You're not trying to poison him are you?" Jake asked

"No….although I did consider it. You know he's one of the new deputies don't you?"

"Yea. Him and Jared."

"Yea, well Dad invited Paul to dinner so they could get acquainted or whatever."

"And you actually agreed to this?"

"Not exactly. I didn't find out until after Dad had invited him and I couldn't exactly say no then."

"Oh. But I'm still not understanding why you want to know what kind of desserts he likes."

"Well I figure Dad's probably going to be inviting him to dinner quite a bit, so I thought that maybe I could use food to create a sort of truce."

"A truce?"

"Yea….I mean he's going to be riding with Dad for a while and it'll make things really awkward for him if Paul and I don't learn to get along."

"Uh huh."

"Jake?"

"So you still don't like Paul, this is just a _'let's play nice for Charlie's sake'_?"

"Yea."

"Ok. Well I don't actually know what kind of desserts he likes, but you could try calling Jared; him and Paul have been best friends since forever so he's bound to know."

"And you couldn't have just said that at the beginning." Bella groaned

"I could've of, but I was curious."

"Ugh. Give me Jared's number."

After she hung up with Jake she thought to herself that this was way more trouble than she wanted to go through but she reminded herself it was all for Charlie. '_And he better appreciate it too'_ she grumbled to herself as she dialed Jared's number.

"Hello?"

"Is this Jared?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"Uh, Bella. I'm a friend of Jacob's."

"Ok…so why are you calling me?"

"Well Jacob said you're Paul's best friend and that you would know what his favorite dessert is."

"And why do you want to know what Paul's favorite dessert is?"

"Well my Dad's invited him for dinner and Paul's going to be following my Dad around for a while I guess, but Paul and I don't exactly like each other so I thought I could offer him food as a sort truce."

"Oh. So you're the Chief's daughter?"

"Yes."

"So what do I get for giving you this information?"

"Huh?"

"This is top secret information here that only I can provide, so I want something."

Bella groaned and muttered something about idiotic men.

"What do you want?"

"Well I've heard that you're quite the cook, so….."

"You want food? I should've known. Ok so you give me the information I want and I'll cook for you."

"We have a deal. His favorite dessert is cheesecake."

"Cheesecake? That's it?"

"Yep."

"Any specific kind?"

"He likes that strawberry stuff on top of it."

"Ok, thanks."

"Mmhmm; don't forget about our deal. I'll call you when I want to cash in."

"Fine." Bella sighed as she hung up the phone

Bella got all the ingredients for the cheesecake and strawberry topping before heading to check out. On the way home she kept reminding herself that this was all for Charlie.

* * *

As she set about cooking dinner she started to relax and almost forgot the reason she was cooking this dinner in the first place. She even managed to get back to the good mood she'd woken up in that morning but as soon as Charlie walked in the door with Paul right behind him that good mood vanished. And she hated to admit it but Paul looked damn good in a police uniform.

"Smells good." Charlie said when he entered the kitchen

"It should be ready in about 15 minutes."

Charlie nodded his head before motioning for Paul to come into the kitchen.

"Bella you remember Paul." He said as he took a seat at the table

Bella fought down a rather colorful reply and just nodded her head.

Charlie could feel the tension in the room and he started to think that maybe this hadn't been such a good idea.

"So how was school?" Charlie asked

"Ok I guess." Bella shrugged

Five more minutes passed and the silence had gotten extremely uncomfortable for Charlie so he excused himself claiming he was going to wash up and get out of his uniform.

Once Charlie exited the room Bella turned to Paul.

"Look, neither one of us like each other but Charlie has to put up with both of us so; I've got a proposition for you."

Paul just stared at her. Bella turned and grabbed the cheesecake from the fridge.

"What is this?" Paul asked staring down at the cheesecake covered in strawberries and their syrup

"It's a sort of peace offering; figured it might persuade you to agree to a truce, for Charlie's sake."

Paul stared at the cheesecake and then at Bella squinting his eyes as he stared at her.

"Did you poison this?" He asked

"Seriously? How stupid do you think I am?" She grumbled

"Well," He started

"Don't answer that!"

"I didn't poison it ok. Thought about it, but didn't do it." She sighed

He eyed her skeptically before nodding his head.

"Ok, so say I agree to this truce…..I just have to be nice to you when the both of us are around the Chief?" He asked

"Yes."

"So when he's not around…"

"When he's not around you can act like the mutt you are and,"

"You'll be a bitch."

Bella glared at him but reminded herself that Charlie was still in the house so she couldn't give the reply she really wanted to give.

"Yes." She sighed

"Ok."

When Charlie came back down, he noticed that the tension was still there but judging by the rather large cheesecake sitting in front of Paul, he figured things were going ok. He almost asked if they'd managed to get along but thought better of it.

Throughout dinner, Charlie tried his best to make conversation and to get Bella and Paul to talk to each other but just about all of his attempts failed.

"Well this night is certainly going better than I had expected." Charlie commented as Paul helped himself to another serving, of course he may have spoken too soon

* * *

After dinner was over and the dishes were cleared, Paul thanked Charlie for having him and made his way for the door.

"See you bright and early." Charlie said as he shook Paul's hand

"See ya Chief." He waved as he headed towards his car

"Bye Paul. You're welcome for the cheesecake!" Bella called after him

"Thanks leech lover!" He called back

"Excuse me?" Bella hollered back

"What did he say?" Charlie asked

"Dad why don't you go on inside while I have a little chat with Paul." Bella growled as she stalked down the drive towards Paul

"Look here you mangy mutt, we agreed to a truce."

Paul just stood there and laughed.

"You really are stupider than I thought." He laughed

"Excuse me!"

"You really thought I was gonna go along with your little truce? I just wanted the cheesecake; it is my favorite after all." He grinned at the look of outrage on Bella's face

"Why you…." Bella seethed

"No comeback?" Paul smirked

"_Oh, I'll show you a comeback."_ Bella thought to herself

"Hand me that cheesecake." She said

"What?" Paul asked confused

"Hand me the cheesecake, I'll hold it while you get in the car." Bella replied

Paul had been expecting a good tongue lashing, not Bella offering to hold his cheesecake while he got in the car. But nonetheless he handed over the cheesecake and before he had even moved to open his car door, Bella had smashed the cheesecake in his face.

"How's that for a comeback?" Bella laughed as she skipped off and into the house

Paul was speechless. Had she really just done that? He'd been so shocked he hadn't even had time to get angry. But once it fully registered in his mind he growled,

"I'll get you back for this you little leech lover."

When Bella entered the house she said goodnight to Charlie and headed up to bed.

"Well so much for a truce." She sighed as she flopped back on to her bed

"Wait till I tell Jake about this." She giggled and she drifted to sleep

* * *

**A/N: Hope you guys liked this chapters. Reviews are lovely little things and very much appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, but here you have it. CHP 7. Enjoy!**

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* * *

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Paul was furious. He couldn't believe Bella had done that; sure he deserved it but he wasn't about to admit that to anyone but himself. And while he thought of ways to get her back for smashing that cheesecake in his face he also marveled at the fact that she hadn't backed down. Most people were afraid of Paul and usually just took it when he lashed out at them, but not Bella.

When he got home, he stripped out of his uniform and tied a pair of cut-offs to his ankle before heading to the forest to phase.

_(__**Bold- Paul, **__italicized- Jared)_

_Hey man. _

_**Hey.**_

_So…..how was dinner? _

_**The leech lover can cook.**_

_How was the cheesecake?_

_**What? How do you know about that? **_

Paul tried not to think of Bella shoving it in his face, but the more he tried not to think about the more he actually thought about it.

_Hahahaha. _

_**Shut up!**_

_Oh man, that was great. Wait till the rest of the guys see this._

_**You better not.**_

_What are you gonna do? It's not like you can Alpha order me not to think about it._

_**Jared, come on. I'm never gonna live this down if the rest of the pack sees this.**_

_I know. _

Paul growled and then lunged for Jared; Jared just laughed and moved out of the way. The rest of patrol was spent with Paul chasing Jared and Jared laughing and teasing Paul about being bested by Bella.

After patrol was over, Paul headed home to get some sleep before his shift at the station in the morning.

* * *

When morning came, Bella woke with a smile on her face. The ending to last night's dinner had her feeling quite happy and she couldn't wait to tell Jake about it.

Down in La Push, Paul was waking up with a scowl on his face. And the ending to last night's dinner had him growling; he couldn't wait to get Bella back for that. He really hoped Jared hadn't told the rest of the pack about it. But then he remembered that Bella was friends with Jacob and she was bound to tell him.

"Great. There's no way Jacob is gonna keep this to himself." Paul said to himself as he got ready for work

When Bella got to school, Angela was quick to notice her chipper mood and asked her about it.

"So last night went well?" She asked

"You could say that." Bella giggled

"What?"

"Well I'd decided to offer a truce. So I called his friend and found out what his favorite dessert was; I figured that would convince him to agree to the truce." Bella explained

"And it worked?" Angela asked

"Not exactly….."

"What happened?"

"Well at first he agreed to it. But then as he was leaving he said something rather rude so I went out to talk to him. He told me he'd only said ok to the truce because he wanted the cheesecake."

"So what did you do?"

"I shoved the cheesecake in his face."

Angela, who was usually so quiet and reserved, let out a rather loud laugh that attracted the attention of the people who were close enough to hear.

Once she had stopped laughing and composed herself, she turned to Bella and said,

"What was his reaction?"

"He was too shocked to respond."

"So I guess I was right after all." Angela laughed

"Huh?" Bella asked as they made their way to class

"I said it wouldn't be so bad."

"Oh. Well then…..you were right."

Bella spent the rest of the day in a very good mood; not even Mike could ruin her mood.

While Bella was enjoying her day and her good mood, Paul was having a less than great day.

When he arrived at the police station, Jared was already there and hadn't wasted any time in telling the entire station what had happened. And unfortunately for Paul, Charlie had heard the story as well.

* * *

Charlie was usually a calm man who didn't pry into other people's business, but Bella's rather strong and negative reaction to Paul had him quite curious and concerned. Determined to get to the bottom of things he told Paul to get in his cruiser so they could go for a drive.

Once they'd left the station and started making their way through town, Charlie began the conversation.

"Paul, you seem like a nice young man and as far as I know you've never been in any trouble. Now my daughter gets along with just about everybody and even if she doesn't like someone she still acts pleasant towards them…but you, however, she has made her dislike of you extremely clear. And I initially wrote it off and assumed that you two had just had an unpleasant first meeting. But after this incident last night I'm beginning to wonder."

"Beginning to wonder what sir?" Paul asked trying to appear calm and respectful

"What have you done to Bella?" Charlie asked

"What? I haven't done anything!" Paul yelled

"I'm not asking as the Chief of Police; I'm asking as a concerned father."

"I'm telling you, I didn't do anything!"

"Then why does Bella have such a strong dislike for you?"

"In case you haven't noticed I don't really like her either. So maybe you should be asking what she's done." Paul growled

"Now wait just a minute, what are you implying?" Charlie questioned

"I'm not implying anything." Paul answered

"But why don't you ask her about that Cullen boy she dated."

"Edward? What about him?" Charlie asked confused

"Ask your daughter."

"And what exactly am I supposed to ask her?"

"Ask her for the truth." Paul shrugged

"The truth? What are you talking about?"

"Just ask your daughter, Chief."

After their conversation was over Paul realized that he'd just gotten back at Bella without even trying to. He'd planted the seed and now Charlie was curious and suspicious. He'd no doubt question Bella and she wouldn't have any other choice but to tell him the truth. Paul wished he could be there for that moment; that moment when the Chief learned that his daughter wasn't as perfect as he thought she was.

Paul was getting his revenge in a way he hadn't planned or expected but was certainly happy with. However, he had no way of knowing the trouble he'd caused in doing so.

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are welcomed and appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8

When Charlie got home from work that night he found Bella in the kitchen, her school books strewed across the table.

"Hey Bells."

"Hey Dad, how was work?" She asked

"It was a quiet day. But I did have a talk with Paul."

At the mention of his name, Bella's body immediately tensed.

"What did you talk about?"

"You." Charlie said as he grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down

"Me?" She frowned

"Yes. I wanted to know what he'd done to make you dislike him so much."

"And what did he say?"

"He said he hadn't done anything but he did mention Edward."

"Huh?"

"He gave the impression that there's something you haven't told me."

Bella just stared at her father, silently cursing Paul for stirring things up like this.

"I already told you everything Dad. And I don't know why Paul would say anything about Edward; they didn't even know each other."

"Then why would he bring him up?" He asked

"Well there was an incident last night I guess he's trying to get me back for it."

"The cheesecake thing?"

"How do you know about that?"

"The entire station knows."

"Huh…..how?"

"Jared."

"Paul's friend? But how did he find out?"

"I guess Paul told him."

"I just don't picture Paul admitting to anyone that he got bested by a girl."

"So you're sure you've told me everything?"

"Yes Dad." Bella replied

"Ok. So what's for dinner?"

"Figured we'd order a pizza or something." She shrugged

"Sounds good."

And just like that things were back to normal.

Charlie believed Bella when she said she'd told him everything but there was still some small part of him that wondered. He'd always thought Edward seemed a bit off but he decided that he would just trust Bella and what she had told him. He would however, be having a talk with Paul.

After Charlie had gone upstairs to shower and change, Bella called Jacob.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Hey Jake, how are you?"

"I'm great, you?"

"Good….good."

"So…..how'd dinner go?

"How do you think it went?" She grumbled

"Well he ended up with a cheesecake in his face and managed not to phase, so I'd say it went well."

"What? How did you know about that? And what do you mean 'he managed not phase'?"

"Oh crap….Ummm, Bella. Uh…. Just forget I said anything."

"Jacob. Explain."

"Uh….gotta go Bells. Bye."

"Jacob? Jacob!"

Jacob had already hung up. Bella debated calling back but he figured he wouldn't pick up because he would know it was her. So instead she decided to just drive down to La Push.

Meanwhile Jacob was freaking out.

* * *

"Crap! Oh man, Sam is gonna kill me. Stupid Jacob, stupid….stupid….stupid." He said to himself as he paced his living room

"OK…Ummm, maybe she'll forget about it. Yea….yea….she'll forget. Just gotta remember not to think about this." He muttered as he continued pacing

However, Jake's luck just wasn't that good.

"Jacob!"

"Shit!" He muttered as he tried to think of a way to get out of the house without her seeing him

"Jacob Black! I know you're in there." Bella said banging on the door

"No I'm not." He answered back and then cursed his stupidity

"Open this door!"

"Uh….not really a good time Bella."

"Jacob, you better open this door and open it now. If you don't I'll try to kick it down and I'll probably break my leg and then you'll have to take me to the hospital and explain to Charlie what happened."

"Oh man. I'm gonna be in so much trouble." He groaned as he opened the door

"Uh….hey, Bells."

"How did you know about the cheesecake thing? And what did you mean by 'phase'?" She asked pushing past him into the house

"Can't we just forget I said anything?" He pleaded

"No."

"Ok…maybe I can just get you to guess and so technically I wouldn't have told you…."

"Huh?"

"Ok…Ummm, what do you know about Quileute's?"

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"Do you remember any of our legends?"

"Yea, why?"

"What do you remember?"

"Jacob, what do your legends have to do with anything?"

"Everything. Just tell me what you remember." He said leading her to the couch and motioning for her to sit.

Bella had no idea where this was going or what the point of it was but she figured she would humor him and hopefully she would get her answers.

"Ok, there was something about the cold ones and wolves."

"Great! Tell me about the wolves."

"Ummm, I think you told me that Quileute's were supposedly descended from them?" Bella replied trying to recall exactly what he had told her that day

"Yes. Have you noticed anything strange about me?"

Bella stared at him for a moment, still not understanding what this was all about.

"Jacob why don't you just tell me what it is you want me to know."

"Because if you figure it out on your own then I might not get in trouble."

"Why would you get in trouble?"

"I'll explain that once you've figured everything out. So have you noticed anything strange about me?"

"Well, you had a major growth spurt, you went from slightly muscular to having big huge, so not normal for a sixteen year old boy, muscles. You're kinda hot,"

"Why thank you." Jacob grinned

"I meant temperature wise you doofus." She laughed

"Ok…now put it all together."

"What?"

"The legends…..my recent changes…."

She started replaying what she knew in her head, trying to see how all of it fit together. After about five minutes she reached a conclusion but thought it was just crazy and impossible.

"Bella?"

"Jacob….." She said staring at him

"Did you figure it out?" He asked

"Well, I think so, maybe…..but it doesn't make sense and it can't be possible." She said shaking her head

"Tell me."

"You're going to think I'm crazy."

"No I won't; I promise. Just tell me."

"Ok, Ummm…. The abnormal temperature, the muscles, the growth spurt and you're legends say you descend from wolves. So maybe you don't just descend from them; you are them."

"YES!" Jacob cried jumping from the couch and pulling Bella with him before pulling her into a near suffocating hug

"Jacob?"

"You figured it out Bells…..this is great!"

"Wait a minute….are you saying that I'm right."

"Uh-huh." He said nodding his emphatically and grinning like a loon

"You're telling me that you're a wolf?"

"Yep."

Bella stared at him like he grown a second head and sprouted wings. This had to be a joke….there was no way her best friend was a wolf…..it just wasn't possible. Then she thought back to the legend and realized that the very same legend that told of the tribe descending from wolves also told of the cold ones. She knew the cold ones were real, she had dated one…..so maybe it was possible...maybe Jake really was a wolf.

"Can you prove it?"

"YES!" Jacob shouted startling her

"Come on, come on!" Jacob said as he grabbed her wrist and dragged her from the house

Once they reached the edge of the forest he stopped and turned to Bella.

"Ok. Stay right here." He said before disappearing into the forest

"Jacob! Jacob, what are you doing?" She cried out as she followed him into the forest

But she didn't see Jacob. She saw his clothes in a pile on the ground and standing beside them was a giant russet colored wolf. She almost screamed but there was something about the wolf that seemed familiar. No….it couldn't be…

"Jacob?" She whispered

The wolf nodded his head before lying down on the ground. Bella could hardly believe what she was seeing. She slowly moved towards the wolf, kneeling before him.

"Is it really you Jake?" She asked

The wolf nodded its head before butting it against her leg. Bella slowly reached out and began to stroke his fur. They stayed like that for quite some time and only moved when another wolf approached them.

"Jake?" Bella called fear creeping into her voice as she made to stand

While Bella was standing there unsure of what was going on the two wolves were having a conversation through their mind link.

* * *

(_Sam, _**Jacob)**

_Jacob? What are you doing?_

**I can explain Sam.**

_Please do._

Jacob replayed the conversation that he had with Bella so Sam could see what had led up to this.

_Why would you do that Jacob? No one is supposed to know about us!_

**I know. But she wouldn't drop it and well…**

_Well what?_

**Technically I didn't tell her. She guessed.**

_But you pointed her in the right direction! You know the rules Jacob! No one but the pack and the Elders are supposed to know about this, and now you've gone and told her!_

**Look Sam, I don't see what the big deal is. She won't tell anyone.**

_And how do you know that?_

**She hasn't told anyone about the Cullen's.**

_Maybe because she didn't know._

**Bella's a smart girl Sam. She had to have known.**

_Whether she knew about them or not doesn't matter. The Elders won't be happy about this Jacob._

**I'll explain it to them Sam, you won't have to take the fall for this.**

_You're damn right you'll explain it to them! Phase back and tell Bella to go home, and then come back here I'm calling a pack meeting._

_

* * *

_

Jacob phased back, pulling his cut-offs on before turning to Bella.

"Bella." He sighed

"What's going on?"

"Well turns out I'm in trouble after all."

"What?"

"No one outside of the pack and the Elders are supposed to know the secret."

"Oh. I'm sorry Jacob."

"Don't worry about it; it's not your fault. I'm the idiot who can't keep his mouth shut."

"But if I had,"

"I probably would've spilled the beans at some point anyway." He shrugged leading her back towards his house and her truck

"Go on home. I'll call you later, ok."

"Where are you going?"

"Sam's called a meeting."

"Oh."

"Don't worry Bells, everything's fine. I'll see you later." He said before giving her hug and running back to the forest

* * *

When Bella got home, Charlie met her at the door and the worry was clear on his face.

"BELLA!" He cried pulling her into the house

"Where have you been? I came downstairs and you were gone. No note or anything."

"Sorry Dad, I went to see Jacob." She explained

"Oh. Well leave a note next time, I was so worried."

"Sorry. I'll leave a note next time. Did you order the pizza yet?"

"No. I was about to go out looking for you. But I'm starving now so tell me what you want and I'll call."

"The usual I guess." She shrugged as she headed for the stairs

That night after dinner was over and she was lying in her bed she thought back on what she'd learned just a few hours ago. It all seemed so impossible and unreal; never in her wildest of dreams would she have imagined this. But here she was, Isabella Swan….ex-girlfriend of Edward Cullen the vampire and best friend to Jacob Black the wolf.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers and to ppl who have added this story to their favorites/alert list and so on. I really appreciate the positive feedback. **

**This chapter is the pack meeting and the events after it.  
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When Jacob reached the forest the rest of the pack was already there.

"Alright, now for the reason I called the meeting." Sam said sending a pointed look at Jacob

"An outsider has been made aware of the secret."

As soon as Sam said that all heads turned to Jacob.

"What? Why do you guys automatically assume I have something to do with it?"

"Well none of us have told anyone nor do we have any friends outside of the pack, so that leaves you." Jared answered

"Ok…fine so it was me. But just so you know I didn't actually tell her…she guessed." He grinned

"Jacob this is a very serious matter." Sam said

"Oh come on Sam! You act like it's the end of the world or something. Bella knows we turn into wolves, so what! She won't tell anyone." He argued

"How do you know that?" Sam asked

"Because I know Bella. Just trust me on this Sam; everything's going to be fine."

"What are we going to tell the Elders?" Sam sighed

"We'll tell them we were patrolling and found Bella; she was lost so we led her home."

"Ok. But that won't explain how she knows the secret."

"Uh….we tell them Bella came to see me, you guys were here…..Paul's temper got the better of him,"

"Me? Oh no! I am not gonna take the fall for this!" Paul yelled

"Don't think of it as taking the fall….think of it as helping out the pack." Jacob said

"You mean helping out you and that leech lover of yours." Paul growled

"Seriously man, would you get over that already." Jacob groaned

"If it wasn't for her and those Cullen's I wouldn't be like this!"

"Uh….in case it's slipped your notice…Bella ain't a vamp. And you phased before Bella even moved here."

"He does have a point." Quil said

"Shut up."

"Alright guys, settle down. It's settled, Jacob will go talk to the Elder's. Hopefully they'll buy his story." Sam sighed

"So that's it? If anyone else would've told someone, you'd rip us a new one. But no….little Alpha tells someone and that's just fine." Paul said beginning to shake

"Paul." Sam warned

Paul just glared at him before walking off.

"You guys can go. Jared, let Paul know he has the midnight patrol with me. Jacob, let's go."

The guys all went their separate ways while Jacob and Sam went back to Jacob's house.

"Hey Billy." Sam said as they entered the living room

"Sam, what brings you here?"

"Well your son has revealed the secret to Bella."

"Jacob, why would you do that?"

"It was an accident really." Jacob shrugged

"So we need to call a meeting with the Elder's so they can be informed." Sam said

"Just tell me the story you two have come up with and I'll talk to them." Billy replied

"Are you sure? I mean this is my mess." Jacob said

"We're having a meeting about some tribal matters so I'll just bring it up then."

"Thanks Dad." Jacob grinned

"Alright well, that's settled. Jacob you've got patrol in the morning, don't be late." Sam said before saying his goodbyes to Billy and heading home to get some sleep before his patrol

At midnight Sam headed to the woods behind his house where Paul was waiting on him in his wolf form.

* * *

**(Paul, **_Sam)_

_Paul._

**Sam. I'm guessing there was something you wanted to talk to me about?**

_It's about Bella._

**What about her?**

_You've got to get over your dislike of her. She's obviously going to be around a lot more now,_

Paul tried not to think about Bella past what Sam was saying but a stray thought made its way through and Sam caught it.

_What was that?_

**UH…..nothing!**

_That wasn't nothing. Paul did you imprint?_

**No… Absolutely not! **He protested

_You imprinted on her didn't you!_

**NO!**

_Paul, tell me…did you imprint on Bella Swan? _Sam asked using the Alpha tone

**Yes.**

_What? When?_

**That day at the beach.**

_What? But you've been downright mean and nasty to her. How is that possible? The imprint doesn't allow us to treat our imprints that way._

**I've been fighting it.**

_Why?_

**Because…**

_Paul…_

**Dude she dated a leech! I think that's reason enough to fight it.**

Sam would've bought that if they hadn't been in wolf form, but since they were in wolf form and he could see every thought flitting through Paul's head, he knew there was more.

_There's more to it isn't there?_

**You wouldn't understand Sam.**

_I wouldn't? In case you've forgotten my imprint is also the cousin to my ex-girlfriend….the one I had planned to marry before I phased._

**Ok. So maybe you would.**

_So what is it?_

**It's not just the fact that she dated the leech; she's still hung up over him and it doesn't take a genius to see that. **

_Ok. But according to Jake she's welling on her way to getting over him._

**Yea. But come on Sam, what do I have to offer her? **

_Paul I know you like to act all tough and what not, but I know that somewhere deep down you're a pretty decent guy._

**Ok, so I'm a 'decent guy'. There are plenty of decent guys out there. Guys who aren't stuck in the same town for the rest of lives; guys who have a lot more money than me; guys who don't turn into a giant wolf.**

_Bella doesn't strike me as the type to care about money. We know for a fact that she's ok with the whole wolf thing_**. **_And for all you know Bella might be perfectly ok with staying here._

**She dated a Cullen…..they're rolling in money. And yea we know she's ok with the wolf thing now, but I couldn't have known that. And really Sam, who in their right mind would want to stay here?**

_You have to tell her Paul._

**What? No!**

_Yes._

**I can't do that Sam. I'll probably lose my job and you know how hard it is for us to find and keep jobs that won't interfere with our duties here.**

_Why would you think you're gonna lose your job?_

**Umm, hello….. Her dad is the Chief of Police. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't take much for her to convince him to fire me.**

_I don't think she would do that, Paul._

**How do you know? I mean I've been everything but nice to her and she pretty much hates me and I kind of hinted to Charlie that there was something about Cullen he didn't know. So now I've probably caused trouble between her and her Dad…..if I were her I'd definitely have the Chief fire me.**

_Why would you do that? _

**Well I was mad about the whole cheesecake thing.**

_You were mad that she threw a cheesecake in your face, which you deserved, so you try and stir up trouble for her with her Dad? _

**Yea I know, stupid.**

_You still have to tell her. It's only a matter of time before she starts feeling the effects of the imprint and I doubt you're going to be able to fight it much longer._

**But she's never gonna believe me. And if by some miraculous chance she does, she's not going to want anything to do with me.**

_And whose fault is that? She might've accepted it easily if you hadn't been such an ass. _

**How am I supposed to tell her?**

_If I were you, I'd start by apologizing. And once she's accepted your apology…..tell her about the imprint._

**Shouldn't I try to at least get to know her first?**

_I don't know much about Bella, but I have a feeling that if you try to befriend her before you tell her about the imprint….it won't end well for you._

**Why did I have to be the one to imprint on her?**

_I don't know. But the great spirits picked her for a reason. _

**I guess.**

_Go on home. I'll finish patrolling._

**Ok. Thanks Sam. **

After Sam ran off, Paul phased back and headed home.

Once he was home and in bed, he thought back on what Sam had said. He realized that he did in fact have his work cut out for him and if Bella refused the imprint….he had no one but himself to blame.

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**A/N: Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter and feel free to offer suggestions and constructive criticism. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I really appreciate all the feedback I've received for this story. Thanks to YankeeGirlNJ, without her suggestion this probably wouldn't have turned into a Bella/Paul imprint story.** **And now that I've established where I want to go with this story it should start moving along much faster and have a lot more Paul & Bella interaction.**

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The next morning when Paul arrived to work Charlie called him into his office.

"Morning Chief." Paul said as he took a seat in front of Charlie's desk

"I'm just gonna cut to the chase. I talked to Bella and according to her I know everything there is to know."

Paul wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond so he just nodded his head.

"Now it's pretty obvious to me that you and Bella and have some issues between the two of you and I really don't want to be stuck in the middle between you two. So here's what you're going to do, come to dinner tomorrow night and after we've eaten I'm going to leave you and Bella alone so that you can work out your issues."

"Ummm, ok…" Paul replied shocked, this definitely wasn't what he'd expected to happen when he was called into Charlie's office

"Alright, let's get to work." Charlie said

Paul followed him out of the station and into the cruiser. He was dreading the drive through Forks because he was sure it was going to be unbearably awkward. And he didn't understand the point of driving around town anyway….this was Forks after all…..nothing ever happened in Forks.

While Paul was riding around in the cruiser with Charlie, Bella was at school being pestered by Jessica.

* * *

"So Bella, I heard some guys from La Push are working with your Dad." Jessica said as they entered the cafeteria

"Of course you have." Bella muttered under her breath

"What?"

"Nothing Jessica. What do you want?" She sighed

"Well have you met them?"

"One of them. Why?"

"Is he hot? Because I've heard he is and I've seen a few of the guys from down there and they're all pretty hot."

While Jessica talked all Bella could think about was how annoying her voice was and how she really wished she had some duck tape to put over her mouth.

"Bella?" Jessica called

"Uh…oh…umm, yea he's hot I guess." She responded

"I heard he was at your house on Tuesday and had dinner with you guys."

"And where did you hear that? I swear this town is ridiculous; don't people have anything better to do than gossip?"

"So, is he single?" Jessica asked completely ignoring Bella's question

"I don't know and even if I did I wouldn't tell you. Besides if you think the La Push guys are hot then you should see the women; they're all unbelievably gorgeous. So why on earth would he be interested in you when he's got a reservation full of beautiful women?" Bella replied trying to hide her smile at the look on Jessica's face; she looked a bit like she'd swallowed a lemon

Jessica huffed before storming over to sit with Lauren.

Bella just laughed as she paid for her food and headed over to sit with Angela and Ben.

"Hey Bella." Angela said

"Hi."

"So what'd you say to Jessica?" Angela asked

"Huh?"

"Well her and Lauren are glaring at you."

"Oh. She was asking about Paul and I basically told her that she had no chance with him because of all those women down on the Rez." Bella explained

Angela just stared at her not quite understanding what Bella was saying. Ben, however, had understood and was having a laugh about it.

"What's so funny?" Angela asked

"Bella basically told Jessica that she was ugly." Ben explained

"Oh." Angela giggled

By the time school was over, Jessica and Lauren had already spread several rumors about Bella but she paid them no mind. And most of the people that knew Bella didn't believe them anyway so whatever Jessica and Lauren had been trying to accomplish, clearly hadn't worked.

When Bella got home she decided to give Jacob a call to find out how much trouble he had gotten into.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Billy?"

"Bella?"

"Huh yea, is Jacob there?"

"He's taking care of some pack business right now, but I'll tell him you called."

"Oh, ok. Thanks."

"No problem.

"Bye."

"Bye."

She figured it would probably be a while before Jacob called and since she didn't have any homework she decided she would take a nap.

* * *

When Charlie got home Bella was still asleep so he decided he would try to make dinner. He hoped that if he was successful, Bella would be so surprised and thrilled that he hadn't destroyed the kitchen that she wouldn't be angry that Paul would be coming to dinner the next night.

But as always, Charlie and cooking was a disaster waiting to happen.

He had decided he would make spaghetti because it was one of Bella's favorites and he figured it was so simple that even he couldn't mess it up.

He put the hamburger meat in the pan to brown but decided to grab a beer and see what was on T.V. while it cooked. There was a baseball game on and he got so distracted by it that he completely forgot about the meat. He only remembered that he was supposed to be cooking when he smelled smoke.

"CRAP!" He yelled jumping from his chair and running into the kitchen

The meat hadn't gotten too burnt so he deemed it salvageable; he drained it before dumping it back into the pan and adding the sauce. He put the water on for the noodles and when it came to a boil he tossed the pasta in. He figured everything was under control now so he could he could step back into the living room to watch a bit more of the game. But he had forgotten to put the lid on the meat sauce so when he went back into the kitchen not only was the pasta overcooked but there was spaghetti sauce splattered all over the stove. And unfortunately for him Bella had woken up and was on her way downstairs. He tried to clean up the mess as fast as possible so she wouldn't see it but he wasn't fast enough.

"Dad?"

"Uh….hi Bells." He blushed

"What happened?" She asked taking in the mess on the stove

"Well I thought I would cook dinner."

Bella just stared at him. Charlie never tried to cook…ever.

"What are you up to?" She asked narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms across her chest

"You look so much like your mother when you do that."

"Dad."

"Can't I just cook dinner for my baby girl?" He asked

"You can. But we both know you're not that good at it so you generally don't." She replied

"Well, I just thought I'd give you a break since you're always cooking."

Bella eyed her father skeptically. He'd said something similar the night he ordered pizza and told her Paul was coming to dinner the next night.

"Oh NO! Absolutely not!" She cried

"What?" Charlie asked trying to sound innocent

"You've invited him to dinner again haven't you?" She questioned

"Well,"

"DAD! Twice in the same week? Really? Did you have to?" She whined

"Well I thought that maybe you two could talk and work out your issues." He said sheepishly

"But couldn't you have talked to me before hand."

"Well it was kind of a split-second decision." He responded

"Dad," Bella sighed

"I know you don't like it Bella. But I've got to live with you and work with him and I'd really like it if you two could get along." Charlie explained

"Alright Dad, I'll try for your sake." She sighed

"Thanks Bells. Now let's eat."

Bella eyed the food wearily.

"Is it even edible?" She asked

"I think so."

Bella laughed,

"Alright old man, let's get this mess cleaned up first."

After the messed was cleaned they sat down to eat dinner and Bella had to admit the spaghetti wasn't as bad as she was expecting it to be, but nonetheless they'd agreed that Charlie would leave the cooking to Bella from now on.

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**Review's are very much welcomed and appreciated.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thank you to the following people for their reviews:**

**YankieGirlNj, **

**VampireLover1994, **

**Renesmee17, **

**ariana kaylani, **

**mad-bout-horses-nd-cowboys, **

**lorri cullen, **

**Kathy Hiester, **

**irishfaery95, **

**KrysWalt, **

**DragonQueen03, **

**blood wolfe 92, **

**MerazWolfGurl13, **

**Anber, **

**EJacob24, **

**StealthLiberal, **

**LoveEverlastingFadesAway.**

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For the first time in a very long time, he was nervous.

He couldn't for the life of him figure out why Bella had been chosen as his imprint but the fact of the matter was that she had…..and there was nothing he could do to change that. He'd already tried denying the imprint and so far that had only brought pain which he knew without a doubt would worsen the longer he ignored the imprint. And he knew that Sam had been right when he'd said it was only a matter of time before Bella began to feel the effects of the imprint; for all he knew she was already feeling the effects.

Paul had no idea how he was supposed to tell Bella about the imprint. He knew that his previous interactions with her and behavior towards her would give Bella no reason to accept him and the imprint but he hoped that she would accept it nonetheless. But he was smart enough to know that the chances of that happening were tremendously low.

So with dread and nervousness consuming him he climbed into his car and drove to the Swan residence.

When he got there he saw Charlie loading food into Bella's truck.

* * *

"Hey Paul!" Charlie called to him

"Chief?" He responded

"I decided I would head on down to Billy's and just let you and Bella have dinner by yourselves."

Logically Paul knew it was better that Charlie not be there because of the things he would be telling Bella but the coward in him wanted to get right back into his car and go home.

On the drive there, he'd managed to convince himself that Charlie wouldn't be far enough away not to hear what was being said and he knew that Bella wouldn't agree to go on a walk or drive with him; so he'd thought that he would be able to get out of telling her about the imprint. But now that Charlie wasn't going to be there…..well, there was no reason and no excuse for him not to tell her. And quite honestly he worried that without Charlie there, Bella might actually go through with poisoning him.

"It'll be fine Paul."

"Huh?" He asked coming out of his daze

"You looked a little scared." Charlie explained

"Scared? Umm, no….nah….not at all." He rambled

"Hmmm; well I'm off."

"See ya Chief." Paul said with a wave

"Just so you know, I will be questioning you both about what goes on tonight…..so I expect you two to actually put in some effort to resolve your issues and get along." Charlie called as he backed down the drive way

_Great. _Paul thought to himself as he gave Charlie one last wave before making his way to the front door

"It's open!" Bella called out when he knocked on the door

Paul entered the house to see Bella descending the stairs and he cursed the imprint for the mushy thoughts that overtook his mind.

"Paul." Bella said when she reached him

"Bella." He nodded

"We can eat the kitchen or take it into the living room."

"Kitchen's fine."

"Ok."

When they entered the kitchen, Bella motioned for him to take a seat while she fixed their plates.

"I promise it's not poisoned." She said when she sat his plate in front of him

"Good to know." He replied

Dinner was a quiet and awkward affair, neither of them sure how to start the conversation or even sure that they wanted to. But alas the food was gone and there was nothing left for them to do but talk.

* * *

"I guess you should go first." Bella said

"Me? Why should I go first?" Paul asked

"Well… you were the one who created this hostility between us."

"Oh….I guess you're right."

"So…" Bella prodded

Paul figured that the only way to do this would be to jump right in.

"You know about the wolf thing right?"

"Yes." She nodded

"Well ummm, did Jacob tell you about imprinting?"

"Imprinting? No. What's that?"

"Well it's how we find our soul mate."

"By 'we' you mean the wolf boys?" She questioned

"Yes." He nodded

"Ok. But what does that have to do with anything? And what is imprinting exactly?"

"Maybe it would be better if I just described to you what happens when we imprint."

"Umm, ok?"

"Well when we look her, our imprint, in the eyes it's like everything else disappears. It's like everything and everyone that once mattered doesn't anymore; she's all we see and she becomes the most important person in the world to us."

"So basically it's like love at first sight?"

"Yes. But it's more than that. When we imprint we become tied to that person; our lives….our souls…our very existence become intertwined with hers and without her we couldn't exist."

"Do you get to pick the person?"

"No. It's completely out of our control."

"So what you're saying is: you look some girl, and it could be any girl, in the eye and suddenly you're in love with them and your life basically revolves around them?"

"Yes." Paul nodded happy that she understood things so far

"But what if it's someone you don't like? I mean can you just ignore the imprint or something if that happens?"

"We could try but it causes immense pain to do so. And eventually we're left with no choice but to give into the imprint."

"Ok….So what does any of this have to do with me or your dislike of me."

"Did Jacob ever tell you why we phase in the first place?"

"No." She replied shaking her head

"The presence of vampires is what causes us to phase."

"The Cullen's." She whispered

"Yes. Now you have to understand that I phased before you ever moved back to Forks and I blamed the Cullen's for that."

"I don't understand where you're going with this."

"I've never been particularly happy about being a wolf and I hated the Cullen's for causing the wolf gene to surface. If they'd never come back to Forks I'd still just be a guy from La Push…..a guy who had dreams, none of which involved staying in La Push for the rest of my life. But when I phased I was forced to give up any dreams I'd had of getting out of here. You see…being a wolf also means that I am bound to protect La Push which means that I can't ever leave."

"Ok, but what does that have to do with me?"

"Well when you came here and started associating with them and eventually dating one of them….I hated you by extension. And then when they left and I saw in Sam's head how you were that night he found you in the woods I couldn't understand how you had loved them. So that day when I actually met you, that day on the beach,"

"When you called me a 'leech lover'?"

"Yes. That was the day I imprinted on you. And I was so angry that I'd imprinted on someone who had willingly and knowingly associated with the ones responsible for my phasing. So I decided I would try to fight the imprint."

Bella was speechless. She was convinced that she hadn't heard that…..that he hadn't said that…..it couldn't be...no…no…no…no…..

"What did you say?" She whispered

"I imprinted on you."

He watched as her eyes widened and her breath quickened. He just knew that his heart was about to be crushed.

"You….you….imprinted. On me?"

"Yes." He nodded

"But you've been so mean and nasty and hateful." She said in disbelief

"Because I was trying to fight the imprint." He explained

"So you don't want me?"

"I…..I didn't want you at first but it wasn't for the reason's you're probably thinking."

"Explain." She demanded

"When I'd imprinted on you, I'd just gotten the job down at the station. My being a wolf and the duties that go along with that make it difficult to really have and keep a job. So when this one came along it was perfect because it wouldn't really interfere with my duties as a wolf. I didn't know how imprinting on you would affect my job seeing as how your Dad is my boss. And well it was no secret that you were still hung up over that Cullen guy…and I didn't see how I could compete with that."

Bella was silent for a few moments; she stared at Paul trying to determine if he was being honest.

"So it wasn't that you didn't want me…you were afraid?" She asked

"Yes….I don't really have anything to offer you and as I've already told you I can't leave La Push; I didn't think you would want to be with a guy who's stuck here for the rest of his life. And then there's money….I don't have the kind of money the Cullen's have; I can't give you all kinds of expensive gifts."

"For one…..I don't care about money. I wasn't with Edward because of how much money he had or what he could buy me. In fact, I hated it when he would buy me things, especially expensive things."

"Oh." Paul sighed

"You know the one thing I hated about Edward and the Cullen's in general?"

Paul just shook his head.

"They were always deciding things for me; it was almost always about what they wanted and as long I wouldn't come to harm then their decisions are what stuck. When the Cullen's were here it wasn't often that I had a choice in anything. After they left there wasn't anyone there to decided things for me anymore. Sure I missed them but for the first time in a long time I was making decisions for myself. And the more I made my own choices the more I realized how much I hated having that taken from me."

Bella paused a moment, hoping that Paul would understand what she was trying to say.

"I think I get it." He said

"Do you?" She asked

"My decisions regarding the imprint were all about me; what I thought and what I felt. I'd assumed a lot of things, all of which I now know I was wrong about. I took away your choice in the matter because of the choice I feared you would've made."

"Yes. Had you told me about the imprinting from the very beginning I probably would've accepted it right away….but you didn't tell me."

"So does this mean you won't accept the imprint?" He asked, his heart aching at the very thought

"If I were to do such a thing it would only cause pain for the both of us I'm sure. So I'm going to accept the imprint but you should know that this won't be easy."

Paul couldn't believe his ears; he had expected he'd be leaving the Swan house broken and miserable but Bella had accepted the imprint. He wanted nothing more than to bring her into his arms and hold her there forever.

"Paul!"

"Huh…what?" He jumped

"You spaced out. I was trying to tell you that I'm going to need some time to think about things."

"Oh."

The elation he had previously felt gave way to worry.

"Whatever I decide doesn't just affect me, so I can't make this decision lightly or without a considerable amount of time spent thinking about it."

"But you said you were accepting the imprint!" He cried

"Yes, but don't I get to decide what type of relationship I want to come from this?"

"Yes….but what's there to decide?" He asked

"Is there some rule that says our relationship has to be a romantic one?"

"Well, no….but all the guys who have imprinted are in romantic relationships."

"Well goodie for them. But I'm sure the guys who have imprinted didn't hide it from the girl they imprinted on. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"And would I also be right in assuming that they weren't hateful towards their imprint?"

"Yes."

"But you did hide it from me and you were hateful towards me. So what makes you think I would jump into, or even want, a romantic relationship with you?" She asked

Paul had no response for that but Bella could see that he wasn't happy. She took notice of the sneer beginning to form and just knew he was about to lash out at her.

"Now before you go getting your briefs in a bunch, keep in mind that this is your fault."

"My fault? Now look here," And just like that 'Angry Paul' was back

"Don't go pitching a fit because you're not getting your way. And if you want me to even consider a romantic relationship with you then I suggest you get rid of the attitude." She snapped

Paul growled but otherwise remained quiet.

"You brought this on yourself! If you had just told me about the imprint from the very beginning we might've been well on our way to happily ever after and all that jazz. But no, you got scared and instead of handling things like a man you tucked tail and tried to ignore the imprint. Now considering that I've spent this entire evening being nice and civil and didn't go off on you when you told me you'd imprinted on me, I think the least you could do is accept the fact that I need some time to think things over and decide where I want things to go from here."

Deep down he knew that she was right and it wasn't fair nor did he have the right to be angry or lash out at her. But he was so used to hiding behind a mask of hatred, arrogance and anger; it was his only way of protecting himself from getting hurt and it had worked just fine…until now. The imprint had given Bella a power that no one else had ever had; with just a few words or one decision, Bella could destroy him.

"You're right." He finally whispered

"I'm not sure I heard correctly. Could you repeat that please?"

"I said… you're right." Paul responded

"I know that must've been very hard for you to admit so I won't tease." She grinned

"Gee thanks…" He muttered

"Now as far as this whole imprint thing goes, I will tell you that we're going to start off as friends." She said as she began clearing the table

"Friends?"

"Yes."

"I guess I should just be grateful, huh?" he sighed

"Yep." She nodded

"Ok."

"Goodie….now let's go in the living room, watch some T.V. and act friendly."

"Umm, sure." He replied

"Hopefully, Dad won't ask too many questions if he actually sees us getting along."

"Gotcha. I do have a question though."

"Yes?"

"Why are you being so nice about all of this?"

"Well I figure I could be mean and hateful but considering you've been rather nice and civil tonight, I see no need for me to be that way."

"Oh."

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When Charlie got home he was surprised to find Paul was still there; he was even more surprised to find that Paul and Bella were actually getting along. Seeing them interacting so civilly, he decided that they must've worked out their issues and there was no need for him to question them about how the night had gone. He spent a few minutes watching T.V. with them before saying goodnight and heading to bed.

"I should probably head home; I've got to work in the morning." Paul said after Charlie had gone upstairs

"And I've got school." Bella said standing from the couch

"So umm, I'll see you later?" Paul said when he reached the door

"I'm probably gonna be down in La Push tomorrow night."

"Oh, ok."

"Well, good night." She said

"Night." He replied walking out the door

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**A/N: As always reviews are welcomed and appreciated. **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: As always I appreciate the reviews and ppl who have added it to their alerts and favorites**.

In the weeks after learning of the imprint, Bella spent a lot of time thinking about it and what it meant for her future. Though she had the choice to decide what kind of relationship became of the imprint, she knew that in reality there was no choice. She had seen the way the other imprinted couples acted and after seeing them together she knew that she would be stupid not to let her and Paul's relationship progress to that level.

In the beginning she wondered if the feelings between the imprinter and the imprintee were true and real or if they were forced and completely based on imprinting itself. But after seeing the relationships bore from imprinting, up close and personal she decided the feelings were completely real; there was no way that love like that could be forced.

Watching the way the boys gravitated towards their imprint and vice versa was simply magnificent to her. She'd never imagined that two people could be so in love and have such devotion to each other, but she now had proof that it was possible and that she could have that too if she wanted; and she did want it.

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The time Bella spent pondering the imprint, Paul spent hoping that she would give into it fully and accept a romantic relationship with him. He'd spent so long putting on the tough guy act and walking around as if he needed no one and love was the last thing on his list but imprinting had changed that. He was still a tough guy and could be a jerk when he really wanted to, but he was no longer pretending that he didn't need someone or that he didn't want someone he could love and have them love him in return. He wasn't sure why Bella had been picked for him and he was sure that she deserved someone far better than he but he was learning to be thankful for the imprint.

He saw how Sam was with Emily and despite the heartbreak that had resulted from that particular case of imprinting; he could see that they were a perfect match. They loved each other to the very depths of their soul and though he would never admit it to anyone, he was jealous of the bond they shared. He hadn't had a very good childhood and if he was honest with himself, he'd been so starved for love that he had somehow managed to convince himself that he just didn't need it; that he could go his entire life without ever having someone to love him. But seeing how Emily loved Sam; how she accepted his being a wolf and everything that came with it, he realized that he didn't want to go his entire life without ever having experienced that. He knew he had messed up with Bella from the very beginning but he was determined that he would prove himself worthy of her love.

* * *

In the aftermath of the imprint, Bella and Jacob's friendship became strained and awkward.

Jacob, just as everyone suspected, hadn't reacted very well when Paul told the pack about him imprinting on Bella. He was disappointed and didn't understand why Paul of all people had imprinted on Bella. When Bella was around he tried to act as if it didn't bother him, but she could tell that it did. He was far more distant than he had ever been and he no longer seemed eager or excited for her visits. She tried to tell him that being Paul's imprint had no bearing on their friendship but Jacob would just tell her she was wrong before changing the subject.

He'd always held out some hope that Bella would someday return his feelings, but now he knew that was no longer possible. He tried not to be angry with her because it wasn't her fault; he tried not to act differently or show is contempt but it was hard and he more often than not failed. And because he couldn't bring himself to take out his anger over the imprint on Bella he attempted to take it out on Paul. But Paul refused to put up with it and always pointed out that just as Bella had no choice in being his imprint, he had no choice in imprinting on her. Sam eventually had to place an Alpha order on Jacob so that he couldn't attack Paul under any circumstances; this only angered Jacob further. If he couldn't take his anger out on anyone than the only thing he could do was learn to deal with and accept the imprint.

* * *

**A/N:Next chapter will get back to Bella and Paul interactions. Feel free to review and let me know what you think.(And I do apologize for the shortness...it just happened to work out that way)  
**


	13. Chapter 13

It had been almost two months since the imprint happened and in that time Bella and Paul had managed to form a solid friendship that as far as anyone else could tell, was well on its way to becoming more than friendship.

Bella would be graduating in a few weeks and she was beyond excited that high school was coming to a close. While Bella was excited, Paul was nervous. He had let his guard down when it came to Bella and in doing so it had allowed the two of them to grow closer but he worried that her plans for after graduation didn't include staying in Forks. Paul knew that he wouldn't be able to take it if Bella decided to leave but he also wouldn't be able to stop her if it was really what she wanted.

* * *

It was Friday night and Bella and Paul were spending it together, as had become the norm for them to do in the last two months.

"Bella?"

"Yea?" She asked sliding the pan of lasagna into the oven

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." She said joining him at the table

"Are you going to leave Forks?"

"Huh?"

"I mean are you going off to college?"

"Oh, yea."

"Oh. Well how far away is it?" He asked, his heart aching at the thought of her being anywhere but here

"Port Angeles."

"Port Angeles?" Now he was confused

"Yes. Where did you think I would go?"

"Well I don't know. But I just figured you would be leaving Forks."

"But I'm not; I still be living here and driving up to Port Angeles. Besides, you and I both know that I can't leave Forks….unless it was to move to La Push."

"You'd move to La Push?" He asked excitedly

"Not anytime soon but yea."

"So does that mean you want to be more than friends?" He asked hoping she would say yes

"I don't think I'm ready for more than friendship quite yet but I definitely see us getting there."

Paul's smile was bigger than she'd ever seen it; she hadn't known that it would make him so happy to hear that she saw a future with him. She knew it was what he wanted but they usually didn't talk much about the imprint or where their relationship was going. Bella had learned over the course of the last two months that Paul wasn't very demonstrative; there were little things here or there that hinted to how he felt about Bella but he'd never really come out and said anything. And though he had never voiced it, Bella knew that he still feared she would change her mind about accepting the imprint.

Knowing that Bella wasn't going anywhere had squashed Paul's worry and he was able to relax and enjoy spending time with her.

* * *

It was after dinner and they were in the living room watching T.V. when out of nowhere Bella said,

"When do I get to see you as a wolf?"

"What?"

"I haven't seen you as a wolf yet; I want to know what you look like."

"That was really random." He laughed

"I know. But I really want to see you; I bet you're beautiful." She smiled

"Beautiful? Come on Bella; can't you use something more manly." He whined

"I'd have to see you in wolf form first."

"Well come on then." He said grabbing her arm and dragging her from the couch

"What? Now? But it's dark! I won't be able to see a thing!" She cried

"But now's the best time! We won't have to worry about anyone spotting me and we can stay close to the house so you'll have enough light to be able to see me."

"You're really excited about this aren't you?" She giggled allowing him to pull her into the back yard

Paul's response was a wide grin before he started removing his clothes. She loved moments like this; when Paul let down his guard and was so carefree and happy.

"Paul!"

"What?" He asked

"You're naked!" She blushed

"Well duh! You didn't expect me to phase with my clothes on did you?"

"Oh, ummm…"

"Silly little swan." He laughed shaking his head before running off into the forest

"Where are you going?" She called after him

There was no answer so she just stood there waiting for him to come back.

After a few minutes of waiting she could make out the shape of a figure emerging from the forest; as it got closer she could tell that it was a wolf.

She gasped. He was absolutely magnificent. She'd seen both Jacob and Sam as wolves, but seeing Paul as one; it was breathtaking. His fur was a beautiful silver gray and it looked so soft, she just wanted to reach out and touch him….so she did.

Paul studied her as she petted him and he could see that she was in awe, but she had yet to say anything and he really wanted to hear what she thought.

"You're beautiful." She whispered still in awe of him

Paul whined at the word 'beautiful'.

"I'm sorry it's not manly, but I don't know how else to describe you."

Paul huffed.

"Jacob was nowhere near this beautiful." She muttered still stroking his fur

Paul barked out his appreciation for that comment and Bella groaned.

"I just boosted your ego big time, didn't I?"

Paul nodded his head before giving her hand a lick and backing away from her so that he could phase back.

"Do I need to deflate your head so it'll fit through the door."

Paul let a loud and boisterous laugh before throwing her over his shoulder.

"Hey! Put me down!"

"Nope."

"Paul!" She whined

"Yes?"

"Put me down please."

"Nope."

"I said please!"

"Just let me have my fun woman."

Bella huffed but stopped her protest. It wasn't often that Paul was so playful so she would just enjoy it while it lasted.

When they entered the house, Charlie was sitting in his recliner and eying them suspiciously.

"Paul, Bella….what are you two up to?"

"Uh, nothing?" Paul answered dropping Bella onto the couch

"Hmmm. Paul it's getting late, shouldn't you be heading home."

"Yes sir. Bella, you're coming to the bon fire tomorrow night right?"

"Yep." She nodded

"Ok. Goodnight Chief."

Bella got up and followed Paul to the door.

"Goodnight Bella."

"Night Paul." She replied wrapping her arms around his waist

Paul sighed and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a light squeeze before letting go.

"See you tomorrow." He waved

"Bye." She waved as he got into his car

* * *

"So you and Paul have gotten awfully close." Charlie said when Bella came back into the living room

"Uh yeah." She nodded

"I'm glad you two are getting a long now."

"Mmhmm."

"Well I'm going fishing with Harry in the morning, so I should get to bed."

"Ok. Goodnight."

"Night."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I decided not to have Leah phase and Harry is still alive for now.**

* * *

Sam and Paul had just finished their morning patrol and were headed to Sam's house to have some breakfast.

"How are things going with you and Bella?" Sam asked

"Pretty good I guess."

"Have you two talked about where your relationship is going?"

"Not really. We tend to avoid that subject."

"Why?"

"I don't know really. I mean I'm lucky that she's even agreed to be friends with me so I don't want to push my luck."

"Paul I know I'm your Alpha but I'm also your friend and I know this imprint stuff isn't easy so if you need to talk I'm here."

"Thanks Sam. I appreciate that."

"No problem. Now let's go eat." He said slapping him on the back before running into the house

Paul followed at a more sedate pace; hoping that if he walked slow enough he'd miss out on Sam and Emily making out.

When he entered the kitchen the two of them were still wrapped in each other's arms. There was no kissing or groping, just two people holding each other. Sam and Emily's beginning had been difficult and tragic but it had lead to a love that was strong and unbreakable. Watching them together gave him hope for Bella and himself.

He decided to just let them have their moment and took his place at the table to devour the plate Emily had already set there.

By the time Emily and Sam emerged from their own little world, Paul had already finished his food and was getting ready to leave.

"You're leaving?" Emily asked

"Yea."

"Oh you don't have to."

"Don't worry about it; I'm gonna go and let you to have some time by yourselves. I know you don't get much of it." He shrugged before nodding to Sam and leaving the kitchen

Once they heard the front door shut, Emily turned to Sam,

"That was nice of him."

"Yea."

"He's seemed a lot calmer lately." She commented as she set about cleaning the kitchen while Sam ate

"I think we have Bella and the imprint to thank for that."

"I like Bella. I think she's good for Paul."

"Yea, she isn't afraid of him and she doesn't hesitate to put him in his place when necessary; she's exactly what Paul needs." Sam said as he finished off his food

After the kitchen was cleaned they moved to the living room to spend some time cuddling and enjoying each other's company.

"Sam, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" Sam asked picking up on her nervousness

"Do you ever wish that the imprint had gone differently?"

"What do you mean?" He asked running his fingers through her hair

"Did you ever wish that you had imprinted on Leah?"

Sam's hands stilled; they had never really talked much about this subject and he didn't know why she was bringing it up now.

"Why would you ask that?"

"I don't know. I'm just curious I guess." She shrugged

Sam knew that Emily had her worries and insecurities when it came to his past relationship with Leah but he thought he'd done everything he could to dissolve those.

"I didn't necessarily want to imprint on her but I thought that if I did it might make things a lot easier. I loved her and it tore me apart to have to break her heart and not be able to give her the answers she needed."

"So you don't wish you had imprinted on her?"

"No."

"Do you wish you had imprinted on someone else instead of me?"

"Where is this coming from? How am I even supposed to answer something like that?"

"I don't know. It's just we never really talked about it and I always wondered if you wished things had gone differently."

Sam maneuvered Emily into his lap and gripped her face in his hands.

"I only wish things had gone differently because people got hurt. But I will never wish that another woman had been chosen as my imprint. I love you Emily Young." He caressed her cheek before pressing his lips to hers

They spent the next few hours wrapped in each others arms; each moment slow and gentle, trying to express through touch what words would never be enough to explain….their love for each other.

* * *

While Sam and Emily were wrapped up in each other, Paul was sitting in the woods behind Bella's house.

Sure it was a little creepy that he watched her that way, but he needed to be close to her. He supposed he could've just knocked on the door and actually spent time with her but there was still a part of him that was hesitant to show just how vulnerable he was to her.

As he sat there watching her house and listening to her movements he couldn't help but picture what the future would be like with her; he longed for the day when he could say that she was his in every possible way.

After a few hours he was no longer satisfied with just listening to her; he had to see her. He quickly phased and pulled on his cut-offs.

Bella was surprised when she heard a knock on the door; she hadn't been expecting anyone.

"Paul?" She asked when she opened the door and saw him standing there

"Hi. I hope you don't mind but I had to see you."

"Is everything ok?" She asked pulling him into the house

"Yea, everything's good." He smiled

"Oh, ok. Well I was just getting some cleaning done."

"Well carry on. I'll just watch some T.V. or something."

"Are you sure? I can always finishing cleaning later."

"Nah, go ahead."

Bella eyed him for a moment before nodding her head.

"Ok. If you get hungry there's some stuff in the fridge to make sandwiches."

"Thanks."

Bella nodded again before heading back upstairs to finish her cleaning.

"Do you mind if I turn some music on?" Bella called down the stairs

"It's your house, do what you want." He called back

Paul was flipping through the channels when he heard the music turn on. It wasn't very loud and he guessed Bella was trying not to disturb him or something.

"You know you can turn it up louder if you want! I promise I won't make fun of you for your taste in music!" He yelled out

"Are you sure!" She yelled back

"Turn it up!" Paul yelled back

As the music grew louder he turned his attention back to the T.V. but the sound of a soft voice caused him to mute it; Bella was singing along with the song and she wasn't half bad. It wasn't a song he recognized but as he listened he had to wonder if Bella had consciously chosen it. As quietly as he could he crept up the stairs and stood in her doorway watching her.

Bella sat on her bed, her back was to the door so she hadn't taken notice of Paul yet, singing along to the song and it was clear to Paul that she was in her own little world. He stood there quiet and motionless, not wanting to make his presence known until the song was over.

"I didn't know you could sing." He said when the music stopped

Bella jumped and made a noise that was like a cross between a squeal and scream; she would've fallen off the bed if Paul hadn't caught her in time.

"You alright?" He asked as he set her on her feet and tried not to laugh

"Don't you know it's not nice to sneak up on people?" She growled

"I've been standing in your doorway for the last five minutes or so; not my fault you didn't notice." He chuckled

"Make yourself useful." She grumbled shoving a laundry basket at him

"What do you want me to do with these?" He asked

"There's a closet right next to the bathroom, put them in there."

"Ok."

"And don't just throw them in there!"

"Yes Mother." He chuckled

After he'd done what Bella asked, he walked back into her room.

"So what was that song?"

"It's called Ready to Love Again. Lady Antebellum sings it."

"Pretty good song."

"Yea."

"So do you think you are?" He asked

"Huh?"

"Ready to love again."

"Not quite. But when I am, you'll be the first to know." She smiled

It wasn't the answer he'd been hoping for, but at least it hadn't been an outright no.

"The bonfire starts in an hour."

"It's that late already? Guess I better get ready." She said as she began shuffling through her drawers trying to find something to wear

"You want to just ride down with me?

"Sure." She smiled

Paul smiled in response and headed downstairs.

Bella didn't know why Paul was in such a good mood but she did know that his presence and his good mood had made her day even better.

After showering and throwing on her clothes, she headed downstairs so they could leave.

"Now how did I know I'd find you in here?" She laughed as she entered the kitchen

"Because I'm a wolf and we're always hungry?" He shrugged

"Yea but there will be food at the bonfire."

"And seven wolves too."

"Seven? I thought there were only six of you."

"There was but someone else phased."

"Who?"

"Seth Clearwater."

"Isn't that Harry's son?"

"Yep." He nodded

"But isn't he only like fourteen or something?" She frowned

"Fifteen."

"And how's he handling it?"

"He thinks it's cool." Paul laughed

Bella just shook her head; she felt sorry for the boy and she didn't understand why he had phased in the first place. The presence of vampires is what caused the boys to phase but the Cullen's were long gone and had been for a while; it just didn't make any sense.

"You ready?" Paul asked once he'd finished off his sandwiches

"Yep."

* * *

When they got to the bonfire, Paul headed straight for the food. Bella just looked after him and laughed.

"Hey Bella!"

She looked in the direction the voice had come from and saw Kim waving to her.

"Hey Kim, Emily."

"Hey Bella." Emily smiled

"Soooo…..you and Paul?" Kim asked

"What about me and Paul?"

"How on earth are you two not together yet? I mean the day after Jared told me about the imprint he I and were together."

"Well from what I hear you'd been in love with Jared for a while so of course you two got together quick. But it wasn't like that for me and Paul."

"I guess you're right." Kim sighed before getting up and running off to find Jared

"You'll have to excuse Kim; it was easy for her and Jared so she doesn't understand why it isn't for you and Paul." Emily told Bella

"I guess."

"I'm not gonna ask how things are between you two because it's none of my business but if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here."

"Thanks Emily. I might just take you up on that." Bella smiled

"Hey, I got you some food." Paul said flopping down in the sand next to Bella

"Thanks." She smiled taking the plate from him

Emily scooted away from them a little bit, wanting to observe the way they interacted with each other without intruding.

As she watched them she wondered if either of them even noticed how they gravitated towards each other; she had a feeling that it wouldn't be much longer before Bella gave in completely.

* * *

Around ten o'clock everyone started leaving, till the only people that remained were the pack and their imprints along with Billy and Harry.

Bella snuggled into Paul as she listened to Billy and Harry tell the legends and whispered to Paul that she would never tire of hearing the stories of his tribe.

It surprised Paul that Bella had cuddled up to him but he said nothing, instead choosing to pull her closer to him and breathing in her scent. He'd give anything for a lifetime of moments like this.

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are appreciated and make me very happy. **

**Link to 'Ready to Love Again' - **.com/watch?v=0VjGKtMt-C8&feature=player_embedded


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: To anyone who may be reading my other stories (Destined for Weird and Away From the Sun) those will more than likely be on hold until this story (Kiss or Kill) has been finished. Thank you to those who have reviewed and added it to their alerts/favorites.**

Charlie was over the moon that Bella and Paul were getting along so well; it made living with her and working with him so much easier. He often questioned Paul on his feelings for Bella but Paul was usually vague and hesitant to reveal too much; and getting information out of Bella was like pulling a tooth with a pair of rusty pliers and no Novocaine. It worried him that she was so reluctant to answer the simplest questions and he wondered if there was something she was trying to hide.

* * *

The Monday following the bonfire, Charlie woke up to the sounds of laughter coming from the kitchen. He rolled over and looked at his alarm clock to find that it was only seven o'clock. Who was in his house this early?

"Bella?" He called out as he raced down the stairs

The sound of laughter immediately stopped and he could hear grunts and he was pretty sure he heard a couple of 'ouches' as well.

"In the kitchen Dad." Bella called back, amusement evident in her voice

When he entered the kitchen he found Paul and Bella on the kitchen floor, their limbs tangled in ways Charlie previously would've thought impossible.

"What's going on?" He wasn't sure whether or not he should find the sight in front him amusing or be angered by it because he had no idea what had led up to such a predicament

"Well Chief, Bella recruited me into helping her with breakfast and as you can see that's not going too well."

Seeing the look of confusion on her father's face, Bella hurried to fully explain.

"I was coming from the fridge with the eggs and I bumped into Paul which resulted in me dropping the eggs. Then I went to grab some paper towels to clean them up but ended up slipping on the mess and colliding with Paul and well….here we are." She blushed and giggled

A smile slowly crept across Charlie's face until it had become a full blown grin which then turned into laughter.

"Well Paul, now you know not to stand too close to Bella otherwise you go down with her when her clumsiness kicks in."

"Yes, I've learned that the hard way. You think you could help us out?"

Charlie continued chuckling as he made his way over to the two of them. It took him a few minutes but he was finally able to extract Bella from Paul, almost falling in the process.

"Thanks." Bella breathed reaching out a hand for Paul to grab

Paul just stared at her hand,

"You really think you're gonna be able to pull me up?" He asked laughing

After the mess had been cleaned up, Bella made a second attempt at cooking breakfast and succeeded with no accidents.

"So Paul, you came over at seven in the morning just to help Bella cook breakfast?"

"No sir. I was actually coming over because she'd ask me to take a look at her truck, so since I'm off today I thought I'd come before she had to go to school and see if I could get it taken care of and if not I was just gonna stay here and work on it and let her drive my car."

"Why didn't you just take your truck to Jacob?" Charlie asked Bella

Bella hadn't told her father about the state of her and Jacob's relationship; as far as he knew they were still the best of friends. She remembered the kind of strain that had been put on Billy and Charlie's friendship over the Cullen's and she didn't want that to happen again.

"Ummm, Jacob's been pretty busy so I didn't think he'd have time." She shrugged

Luckily for her Charlie accepted that answer and didn't question her further.

"Well kids, I've got to get to the station. Paul, you going to be here for dinner?"

"That's up to you and Bella sir."

"Well I don't mind and I'm pretty sure Bella doesn't either." He said giving Bella a knowing look

Charlie might not have been the most observant person out there, but he had noticed the way Bella acted when she was around Paul; the girl was head over heels even if she hadn't realized it yet.

"You're going to work on my truck and you're letting me drive your baby to school so I figure I've got to pay you back somehow and what better way than food."

"Works for me." He grinned

Bella had yet to admit it to Paul or anyone else but Paul's smile was fast becoming one her favorite sights.

"See you guys tonight. Bells you should get going, don't want you rushing." Charlie called out as he headed for the door

"See you later Dad; be safe." She called back

* * *

Paul helped Bella clean up the breakfast dishes before shooing her upstairs to get ready.

When Bella came back down, Paul was nowhere to be seen.

"_Where did he go?" _She thought to herself

She opened up the front door to look outside and there he was running his hands along his car and if she wasn't mistaken, talking to it.

"Paul?"

"Come here; it's time you were introduced to Lucy."

"You named your car Lucy?" She laughed

Paul nodded his head as he continued to run his hand along the hood of the car.

When Bella reached him and his car he took her hand and put it on the hood of the car.

"Now, be gentle with Lucy; stroke her gently but keep your hand flat so you don't scratch her."

Bella was suddenly overcome with a fit of giggles.

"Did you really just tell me to stroke your car?"

"You need to become acquainted with her before you can drive her."

This was absurd. But if she didn't hurry she was going to be late, so she went along with the ridiculousness.

"Not like that!" Paul scolded

"You told me to stroke; I'm stroking!" She cried

"But you're supposed to do it slowly; you did it so fast it was more a swipe than a stroke."

"Paul, it's a car. It doesn't know the difference." She huffed

Paul narrowed his eyes at her and patted the car, whispering something that was too low for Bella to hear.

"Will you please just give me the keys now? I'm going to be late if I don't leave soon."

"Not until you stroke her right."

"You do realize how wrong that sounded don't you?" She laughed

"Bella."

"Fine." She grumbled and reached out to stroke the car the way he had instructed

"Good, good. Now say hello to Lucy and introduce yourself."

"Oh come on! This is ridiculous. I am not introducing myself to a car!" She yelled

"I'm not giving you the keys until you do."

Bella could tell that he was absolutely serious and she really did need to get going, so she reluctantly squatted down like she had seen Paul doing early.

"Hi Lucy, I'm Bella. Now be a dear and tell your owner to hand over the keys."

She felt completely ridiculous doing this and was glad that no one was there to witness it.

"Now was that so hard?" He smiled

"Will you just give me the keys please?" She asked trying not to smile in response to his

"Here you go. Be very careful. Don't go to fast and if you can, park her away from any other cars."

Bella just nodded her head and grabbed the keys from his hand.

"Thanks. See you later."

"Be nice to Lucy and she'll be nice to you." He said as he gave the car one more loving pat

Bella shook her head. Paul seriously had a soft spot for that car; Bella wondered which he cared about more, her or the car. Then she realized that was a ridiculous question and scoffed,

"Of course he cares about me more. No offense Lucy." She said to herself

"Oh gosh, I'm talking to the car." She groaned banging her head on the steering wheel

* * *

Bella ended up being one of the last ones to arrive to school so of course everyone noticed when she pulled into the parking lot.

When she exited the car, she saw the looks of shock on everyone's faces; mainly the guys.

"Sweet ride! What happened to your truck?" Mike asked as he approached the car

"It's on the fritz right now so my friend let me borrow his car for the day." She explained

"Nice ride Bella." Tyler said as he approached the car

"NO!" Bella yelled as he went to touch it

"Huh?" He asked

"Please don't touch it." She pleaded knowing that Paul would be furious if he found out she'd let someone touch his car

"Ummm, ok." He shrugged

Bella was suddenly very nervous about leaving the car unattended all day. She felt like she should stand guard or something to ensure nothing happened to it but that just sounded crazy. She swept her eyes over the car once last time, memorizing its present condition so just in case something did happen to it she would notice.

Throughout the day Bella got many questions about the car; the guys all wanted to know what year and what type of engine….all the things Bella didn't know. The girls were only interested in finding out who the guy was it belonged to.

"Bella."

_Maybe I should start avoiding the cafeteria_. Bella thought to herself as the sound of Jessica's voice reached her ears.

"Yes Jessica?"

"That's a really pretty car you were driving this morning."

Now, Bella didn't know much about cars but she knew that had Paul been there to hear Jessica call his car 'pretty' he would've been insulted.

"Yes it is a gorgeous car." She replied, placing emphasis on the gorgeous

"So is the guy who let you borrow it hot?"

_Seriously? Just a few more weeks Bella…just a few more weeks._ She thought to herself

"Hot would be an inadequate way to describe him." She replied

"Huh?"

_She really can't be this stupid can she?_

"Excuse me?" Jessica huffed

"Crap! I said that out loud didn't I?" She muttered

"Were you calling me stupid?"

"Nope. Not at all."

"Oh, ok. So this guy, who is he?" Jessica asked

Bella fought very hard to keep her laughter internal and she just barely managed it.

"That's none of your business."

"Is it that guy that works with your Dad?"

"Jessica, why don't you go annoy someone else?" Bella sighed as she paid for her food

Jessica squawked at Bella's statement and went to storm off.

"You're gonna have to pay for that." The lunch lady said thereby thwarting her attempts for a dramatic exit

Bella laughed and walked off to her usual table.

The rest of the day was pretty calm and by the time the final bell rang, Bella was more than anxious to leave.

"Hey Bella, wait up!"

"Gotta go Mike." She called back, picking up her pace

She would've run but Bella and running was a bad combination, so she settled for speed walking; hoping that Mike would just give up and leave her alone.

Today must have been Bella's lucky day because she managed to slide into the car just seconds before Mike caught up with her. She could hear him calling her name, but she pretended as if she hadn't and put the car in reverse.

* * *

As soon as she pulled into her driveway, Paul came racing outside.

He immediately began inspecting his car, completely ignoring Bella as she got out.

"I missed you. Did she take good care of you?" He muttered running his hands lightly across the car

"Hi to you too Paul." Bella muttered as she watched him talk to his car

Paul's attention finally snapped to Bella and he blushed at the fact that he had greeted his car before greeting his imprint.

"Hey. How was school?"

"School was school." She shrugged

"That good huh?" He laughed

"Just can't wait to be done with high school." She sighed

"Yea, I know how you feel. Lucy didn't give you any trouble did she?"

"No, Paul. Lucy was perfectly behaved." She replied rolling her eyes

"Good, good." He said following her into the house

Bella decided not to tell Paul about Tyler trying to touch his car or how Jessica called it 'pretty'.

"So did you figure out was wrong with my truck?"

"Well other than its old and you should just get a new one,"

"Hey don't diss my truck." She said punching him in the shoulder

"You do know that didn't hurt?" He grinned

Bella glared at him as she made her way up the stairs to her room.

"It needed an oil change and it needs a new timing belt. There's also something wrong with the engine but I haven't been able to figure out what, I'm gonna need to spend some more time on it."

"Well what am I supposed to do till then?" She huffed falling onto her bed

"I guess I could let you drive Lucy." He replied flopping down next to her, causing her to bounce

"Then how are you going to get around?"

"I have another car." He shrugged

"This one got a name too?" She asked

"Maggie." He replied

"Maggie?"

"Yep. She's a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1."

"You do realize I have no idea what that is."

The look on Paul's face when she said that sent Bella into a fit of hysterical giggles and she ended up falling off the bed which quickly caused her to cease the laughter.

"But you hung out with Jake. Did he not teach you anything?"

"Well he tried to teach me some stuff; but it was mostly about the tools he was using or the Rabbit."

Paul shook his head.

"So I'm guessing you don't know what kind of car Lucy is either."

"Nope."

"Then I guess I'm going to have to teach you."

"I guess so."

Bella didn't sound at all enthused and Paul quickly picked up on it.

"How about I make you a deal?" He said helping her back onto the bed

"What kind of deal?" She asked

"I teach you about cars, more specifically Maggie and Lucy, and you teach me how to cook."

"That doesn't really sound like a fair deal. I mean, you'd actually be learning something useful but I wouldn't."

"You may not think so now, but I assure you knowing stuff about cars is very useful."

Bella eyed him skeptically but agreed to the deal nonetheless.

"Well your first lesson can be tonight; and while I'm teaching you to cook, you can teach me about Lucy."

"Ok. And this weekend we can work on the hands on stuff."

"Hands on stuff?"

"Yea; it doesn't do any good for me to tell you about car parts and stuff and not show you what it actually looks like."

"Makes sense I guess."

Until this morning, Bella hadn't pegged Paul as the type to be obsessed with cars but now it was clear to her that he was; he might even be more obsessed than Jacob. She wasn't particularly excited to be learning about cars but it meant that she got to spend more time with Paul and would hopefully get to see the carefree and playful Paul a whole lot more.

* * *

When Charlie walked into the kitchen that night and saw Paul wearing an apron and stirring something on the stove with Bella instructing him, he was surprised. The two of them seemed to be in their own little world and hadn't even noticed he was home.

He quietly took a seat at the table and just watched them. They were so in sync with one another and didn't even have to utter a word to communicate. He watched as Bella corrected Paul when he didn't do something the right way and he wondered if Bella even noticed that she wasn't using words to do it.

Up until now, Charlie had been a little skeptical of what Paul's feelings were for Bella and what his intentions were but now it was clear to him. The way Paul would gently tuck Bella's hair behind her ear when it fell into her face, or the way he molded his body to hers as she showed him the proper way to chop the vegetables; it was almost like he was protecting her, from what, Charlie didn't know. And even after Bella had shown him how to chop properly, Paul kept her in front him; the way he did so wasn't demanding, but subtle and soft….a brief tightening of his arms around her conveyed the message and Bella remained where she was. It was clear to Charlie that Paul loved Bella.

And if his eyes weren't deceiving him, Bella felt the same; the way she reacted to his touches, always leaning into them and with no hesitation. When she would step away from him, it was never very far and it was only seconds before she was back at his side. The way she leaned into him as he chopped the vegetables; the way her fingers lightly trailed along his arms as he did so, tracing the muscles as they worked. The way she would smile up at him when he did something right and even when he didn't. His little girl was in love.

Charlie smiled to himself as he slowly and quietly slipped out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are lovely and appreciated.**


	16. Chapter 16

It had been more than an hour since Charlie had gone upstairs and Bella and Paul were still unaware that he was home.

"You did good." Bella said smiling at Paul as she took in the finished meal

"Had a great teacher." He grinned draping an arm across her shoulders

"I wonder where Dad's at; he's usually home by now."

"I don't know. But please tell me we don't have to wait for him because I'm starving."

"You're always starving." She laughed

When he heard them talking he decided that they had emerged from their own little world and it was a good time for him to make his presence known.

"Hey kids."

"Dad? When did you get home?" Bella asked surprised

"About an hour ago." He replied

"An hour? But I didn't even hear you come in. Did you hear him?" Bella asked turning to Paul

"No." He said shaking his head; he was slightly embarrassed that he hadn't because with his wolf senses he should have

"You two seemed to be enjoying yourselves so I decided to let you be and catch a nap." He explained

"Oh."

"Can we please eat now?" Paul begged

"Yes Paul, we can eat now."

Paul tried to be patient as Bella and Charlie fixed their plates but he was seconds away from shoving Charlie out of the way so he could get to the food.

"Paul, this is really good." Charlie said as he took a bite of the chicken

Paul was too busy shoveling food into his mouth so he just nodded.

Bella smiled at him and dug into her own food.

Dinner was relatively quiet aside from the occasional moans emitted from Paul; clear signs that he was more than happy with the outcome of his efforts.

Once Paul had finished off his third helping, he helped Bella clean-up the kitchen and then settled on the couch to watch some T.V. with Charlie.

* * *

"Paul it's getting late, I should probably take you home now."

"Huh? Why would you be taking me home?"

"Well you said I could use your car until my truck was fixed."

"Yea. But I was just gonna drive it over in the morning and ride into work with your Dad."

"Oh, ok."

Around ten o'clock, Charlie called it a night and an hour later Paul decided he should call it a night too.

"Dad usually likes to leave here before 8 and I leave around the same time, so please don't be late." Bella said as she walked Paul to the door

"Yes your Majesty." He said turning and giving an elaborate bow

"Ha….ha." She replied trying to hide her smile

"Do I get breakfast in the morning?"

"We'll see." She replied shoving him out the door

"This is the treatment I get for cooking you dinner?" He huffed

"It was a very good dinner too; might have to have you cook more often."

"Well, you are supposed to be giving me lessons." He pointed out

"This is true."

"So how about I bring you breakfast in the morning in exchange for another cooking lesson tomorrow night."

"I'll have to go the grocery store but I suppose that could work. So when do I get my first lesson?" She asked following him to his car

"I'll give your first one in the morning."

"What are you going to teach me; how to properly stroke a car?" She giggled

"Well if you think we need to go over it again," He grinned wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug

"Goodnight Paul." She laughed pushing him into his car

"So pushy." He grumbled

Bella smiled in response and gave a small wave before turning to go back into the house.

* * *

The next morning Paul arrived at exactly seven o'clock with breakfast in hand.

"I wasn't expecting you to show up this early." Bella said as she followed him into the kitchen

"Well I was hungry and figured I should probably get this over here before I ate them all." He said shaking the box at her

"What did you bring?" She asked reaching for the box

"Doughnuts."

"Doughnuts? Not exactly what I had in mind for breakfast, but it will do." She shrugged

"Well I did try to make some muffins and that went horribly wrong, so…."

He had tried to make her muffins? That was incredibly sweet of him and she thought about telling him so but figured it might embarrass him if she did, so she smiled sweetly and selected a doughnut.

"These are my favorite." She said taking a bite out of the doughnut covered in sprinkles

Paul nodded his head and stored that bit of information away for future reference.

"So you ready for your lesson?"

"Umm, sure. Just let me go get dressed first."

"Actually you might wanna wait until after the lesson."

"What exactly are you going to have me doing?" She asked

"I'm going to show you how to check the oil."

"Check the oil? Ok….so why can't I get dressed and then do that?"

"Because this is you we're talking about. I'm sure you'll find some way to end up covered in oil." He grinned

Bella hated to admit it but he was right.

"Alright; let's get this over with so I can get going." She grumbled

"At least you're learning something useful." He replied as he followed her out of the house

Bella found that checking the oil wasn't at all complicated and much to the surprise of both her and Paul she managed to come away completely oil free.

"For your next lesson I'll show you how to actually change the oil."

"Ok. Well I need to go get dressed now, so I'll leave you and Lucy alone to say your goodbyes." She grinned

Paul sent her glare that held absolutely no heat and was more playful than anything.

If any of the guys had been here, they would've been teasing Paul about going soft. And back before the imprint and Bella, Paul would've gladly punched them for such a comment but now he would only grumble a few sharp words before moving on to some other topic.

A few minutes later Charlie emerged from the house.

"Morning Paul."

"Morning Chief." He nodded

"You know Paul, I think it's about time you start calling me Charlie." He said slapping him on the back

Paul didn't know what had brought this on but figured he must have passed some secret test that all father's used on guys who associated with their daughter.

"Umm, ok…Sir."

Just as Charlie was about to say something else Bella came running out of the house and in true Bella fashion, tripped; but she never came into contact with the ground.

"Only you could trip over air." Paul chuckled as he helped her to right herself

"Oh hush." She said swatting at his chest

Charlie just looked on at the two of them and smiled. He remembered the days when Renee had looked at him the way Bella looked at Paul; he missed those days something fierce.

"Paul, it's time for us to get going." Charlie called out

"Here are the keys; drive safe. Text me when you get there and when you get home this afternoon." He said handing Bella the keys

"Worried something's going to happen to your precious Lucy?" She laughed

Paul shook his head and pulled Bella into him.

"I worry something might happen to you." He whispered in her ear

Well this was new.

Sure she knew that Paul worried and that the closer they grew, the more attached they became to each other; but Paul had never really voiced his worry like this. He had only ever voiced his worry about her denying the imprint or choosing to leave Forks.

She didn't know how to respond to his statement so she just squeezed him as tight as she could.

A few moments passed and they reluctantly pulled away from each other.

"I'll see you tonight." Bella sighed

"Don't forget please." He pleaded

"I won't." She promised

After that the two of them parted ways and headed off to separate vehicles.

The whole way to school, Bella thought of what Paul had said. She hadn't realized he worried for her the same way she worried for him. And she figured it had to be so much harder for him than it was for her; she could at least find some small peace in the fact that he was a wolf and could take care of himself.

True to her word, she sent Paul a text when she got to school.

_I'm at school now. Be safe out there and I'll see you tonight - Bella_

_**Thank you. - Paul**_

She decided that she would continue to send Paul messages from now on when she was going somewhere that he wouldn't be. It was the only thing she could think of that might help to ease his worry for her, aside from never leaving his side which just wasn't practical.

* * *

Bella found herself unable to pay attention in any of her classes that day; her thoughts kept turning to Paul and she couldn't seem to think of anything or anyone but him. There were very few moments when Paul had allowed Bella to see his vulnerability and even in those moments he'd still been guarded and hadn't allowed her to see him completely vulnerable. But this morning had been different.

The way he held her to him; as if trying to assure himself that she was there with him and that she was fine. She hadn't realized it until now but this is what she had been waiting for. She had been waiting for him to let his walls down completely; for him to show her just how vulnerable he really was when it came to her. She hadn't known it until now, but this was exactly what she needed in order for her to be able to do the same with him.

* * *

**A/N:Review and let me know what you think. **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I think you guys are going to be very happy with this chapter...at least I hope you will.**

Bella watched from the kitchen window as Charlie's cruiser pulled into the drive that night; she watched and waited for Paul to inspect his car but he didn't even spare it a glance.

Paul locked eyes with Bella and watched her as she watched him; there was something different in her gaze tonight and he couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"You coming inside or you two just gonna stare at each other all night?"

Charlie's voice startled Paul and he tore his gaze away from Bella's.

"I'm coming." He replied as he moved to follow Charlie into the house

* * *

Paul and Charlie made their way into the kitchen where Bella was piling food onto a plate that was obviously meant for Paul.

"How was work?"

"The usual. How was school?" Charlie asked

"Boring. We've got finals next week so all the teacher's are harping on about those."

"Can't believe my little girl is going to be graduating in two weeks; gonna be weird going back to living alone."

"Living alone? You kicking me out or something?" Bella asked

Charlie looked at Bella, confusion clear on his face.

"You're going off to college aren't you?"

"Actually, I figured I'd just stay here. Take some courses at the community college in Port Angeles." Bella replied setting their plates on the table

"I thought you were planning on going off to some big university."

"Dad, the big university thing was the Cullen's idea; I never really wanted to go. Besides I don't need really need some big fancy degree for what I want to do." She answered as she took her seat beside Paul

It was true that going to a big university had been the Cullen's idea but it wasn't true that she hadn't wanted to go. Maybe she hadn't necessarily wanted to go to Dartmouth but she had wanted to go somewhere outside of Washington but that was no longer an option for her; and as her feelings for Paul blossomed and matured she found that she didn't mind so much being stuck in Forks.

"Well, whatever your reason I'm just glad I get to keep my little girl for a little while longer." He smiled before digging into his food

Bella smiled in return and dug into her food as well.

Paul had remained quiet through the conversation between Bella and Charlie; he still had his doubts that Bella would someday grow tired of this place so he kept silent and hoped that day would never come.

When dinner was over, Charlie claimed he was tired and bid Paul and Bella goodnight.

* * *

"How come I didn't get my lesson tonight?" Paul asked as he Bella settled in the living room

"I wasn't sure what time you guys would be getting off and I was extremely hungry."

"Guess we should probably reserve my lessons for the weekends then."

"But you're supposed to be teaching me about car's and stuff on the weekends." She pouted

"For someone who thought learning about cars was pointless you sure do sound disappointed." He grinned

Bella had no verbal reply for that so she resorted to one more childish….sticking her tongue out at him.

Paul laughed at her and then assured her that she would still be getting her lessons on the weekends and he would get his as well.

"Trying to teach you about cars is bound to work up an appetite, so really it'll work out perfectly for us."

"If you say so." She sighed

"I say so." He smiled

They spent the rest of the night snuggled up in comfortable silence just enjoying each others presence.

Bella wanted to tell Paul about the epiphany she'd had about their relationship but she didn't know how. She had never been very good at expressing her emotions verbally; sometimes just a simple _'I love you'_ to Charlie was a difficult task for her, granted Charlie was no different than her when it came to that. So how was she supposed to tell Paul that she was ready to move past friendship? She figured it probably wasn't as hard as she was making it out to be but she'd always had a tendency for over thinking things.

Numerous times that night she would turn to Paul sure that she was ready to tell him what she knew he wanted to hear but every time she looked at him, she found him looking back at her; the way his eyes bore into her own made her lose train of thought as well her nerve. His gaze made her nervous but in an impossibly good way; in a way that made her heart beat just a little faster and had her moving her body closer to his without her even noticing she'd done it. If he would just stop looking at her like that; like she was his gravity…the only the thing keeping him grounded, then maybe she would be able to get the words out. But at the same time she didn't want him to stop looking at her like that because she would surely miss it if he did.

Paul had picked up on Bella's nervousness but he couldn't figure out the cause. He couldn't recall her ever having been nervous around him and he didn't understand why she would be now. When he caught her looking at him he would return her stare, trying to convey through his eyes what he felt Bella might not have been ready to hear. Several times he saw her open her mouth to speak only to close it just as quickly and return her stare to the television. Her hesitation and nervousness was making him nervous as well and he began to wonder if perhaps she had something bad to tell him; something that would crush him and leave him broken. He tried to be patient and just wait for her to gather her nerve but he couldn't do it.

* * *

"Is something wrong?" He asked as he reached for the remote and turned off the T.V.

"No. Why?"

"You seem nervous; like you want to say something but you keep hesitating."

Bella cursed herself for being so easily read.

"Well I do have something to tell you," She started

"Is it bad?"

Bella could see the worry on his face just as clearly as if it had been written boldly in sharpie across his forehead.

"No; nothing bad." She said as she used her fingers to smooth away the worry lines on his forehead

"Then what is it?" He asked relief seeping into his features

Bella was quiet for a few moments before she turned herself so that she was sitting facing Paul, and she pulled one of his hands into her own and into her lap. She began playing with his hands; running her fingers along his palm and drawing circles against his skin.

"Bella?" He prodded

"I realized something today."

"What did you realize?"

"You asked me once if I was ready to love again and I told you then that I wasn't."

Paul nodded his head, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"I thought that it would take me a very long time before I was ready to love someone again; for a while I wasn't sure I would ever be able to. But then you came along...at first I despised you and thought you were the world's biggest jerk. Well now I know that deep down you're not like that at all and I feel so lucky to have been the one chosen…..the one who gets to see the softer side of you….the one who gets to love you."

Bella waited for her words to sink in and when they finally did she knew without a doubt that she had made the right decision.

"Please tell me this isn't a dream." He whispered

"This isn't a dream."

"You love me?"

"I love you."

The smile that spread across Paul's face left Bella breathless; she would say those three words a million times more just to see that smile again.

"I want to be more than your friend Paul. It almost scares me how much I want you…..how much I need you."

Paul pulled Bella into his lap and wound his arms around her pulling her as close to him as he could; with their faces just inches apart, he whispered to her,

"You don't have to be scared Bella. I want you just as much…I need you more than I've ever needed anybody or anything."

"Do you love me?" Bella asked

"I love you." He whispered

Bella could fill his breathe ghosting across her lips and her eyes traveled down Paul's face to watch as his tongue slowly slid over his own lips.

"Can I kiss you?"

Unable to find her voice, she nodded her head in reply.

Their lips were only inches apart and it would've only taken a moment for them to touch but Paul took his time. His eyes met Bella's as he slowly brought them closer together; his tongue slid across his lips once more as Bella licked her own. His eyes traveled once more to Bella's lips as he captured them with his own.

The kiss was slow and gentle; sweeter than Bella had ever imagined a kiss could be. There was no rush in this kiss; no sense of urgency at all. They kissed as if they had all the time in the world for this one kiss.

When it ended, they were both breathless.

"That was," Bella started but Paul silenced her by placing a finger against her lips

"No words." He whispered

They remained like that for some time and might have remained that way all night if they hadn't been interrupted.

"Don't you think you should be getting home?" Charlie asked as he entered the living room

"Yes sir." Paul replied his eyes still locked with Bella's

"Well?" Charlie said when neither of them made to move

Bella sighed and eyed Paul's lips longingly before carefully making her way off his lap.

Satisfied that Paul was leaving, Charlie once again bid them goodnight and headed back upstairs.

* * *

"See you in the morning." Paul sighed as leaned against his car and pulled Bella into a hug

"Yea." She sighed in return

"One more kiss before I go?" Paul asked

"You don't have to ask." Bella whispered, her eyes already going to his lips

This kiss was still soft and gentle but faster than the last one.

"I love you." Bella whispered as they pulled apart

Once again that smile spread across Paul's face and Bella was more than happy to enjoy the sight.

"I love you too." He whispered back, giving her one more kiss before moving her away from him and sliding into his car

Bella watched as he drove away and sighed wistfully as she turned and headed back into the house.

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are welcomed and very much appreciated. **


	18. Chapter 18

When Paul entered the forest the next morning to begin his patrol he was disappointed to see Jacob there waiting for him.

**(Paul, **_Jacob)_

**I thought I was patrolling with Sam this morning.**

_Something came up._

**Oh. **

After that the boys headed their separate ways to patrol.

Paul tried to keep his thoughts in check and avoided thinking about Bella as much as possible but it was hard and snippets of last night made their way through and because of the mind link, Jacob saw them.

_How could you do this?_

**How could I do what?**

_Bella…._

**Look man, we've talked about this before….you know we can't control imprinting.**

_But you could've tried to fight it…you didn't have to make her fall in love with you._

**First of all: I didn't make her do anything. And in case you've forgotten, I did try to fight it in the beginning. **

_Not hard enough._

**When you imprint, you'll understand that fighting it isn't as easy as you seem to think it should be. **

_Maybe fighting the imprint isn't easy, but you could've fought harder and you know it….you just didn't want to._

**What do you want Jacob? Do you want me to apologize for imprinting on Bella? Do you want me to apologize for loving her and having her love me in return?**

Jacob remained silent but Paul knew him well enough to know that some sort of apology was indeed what he wanted.

**I've told you before and I'll tell you again, I'm not going to apologize for something I had no control over. And even if I did have control over it, I still wouldn't apologize. I love Bella and she loves me…..I won't ever apologize for that. **

_She was supposed to love me, not you. She was supposed to be mine!_

**If she was meant for you then you would've imprinted on her. If you really cared about Bella like you say you do, then shouldn't you be happy for her? Shouldn't you be happy that she's happy?**

_How am I supposed to be happy when she's with you? I was there for her when no one else was and this what I get in return? I've lost my best friend and love of my life….It isn't fair!_

**You're pathetic Black, It's your fault that you and Bella aren't friends anymore; you're the one that pushed her away. You need to grow up and stop acting like a five year old that lost his favorite toy. **

It had become obvious to Paul that Jacob was trying to pick a fight but he wasn't going to go for it. He'd tried to be respectful of Jacob's feelings but he was tired of tip toeing around him and trying to keep his thoughts of Bella to a minimum when phased.

**I won't talk to you about this anymore Jacob. And I won't be hiding my thoughts anymore either. From now, Bella and I are going to be spending a lot more time on the Rez and with the pack and you're just gonna have to deal with it. It's time for you to grow up and accept the fact that you and Bella just weren't meant for each other.**

Before Jacob could respond, Paul had phased back and donned his clothes.

After heading home to shower and change into his uniform, Paul hopped into Lucy and headed for Bella's house.

Last night's admissions of love had him feeling giddy and the thought of kissing her again had him grinning like a loon.

While had been having his talk with Jacob, Charlie had been having one of his own with Bella.

* * *

"So you and are Paul together now?" Charlie asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee

"Yes Dad."

"Well this means there's going to be some changes now."

"What kind of changes?"

"During the week he's not allowed to be here past 10 o'clock. On the weekends, he can be here till midnight."

"You do realize I'm 18." She replied staring at him over her cup of coffee

"You do realize this is my house." Charlie countered

"Fine." Bella huffed

"And no funny business in my house either."

"Funny business?"

"Sex." Charlie clarified with a blush

Bella's face took on a beet red color and she hoped that her father wasn't about to try and talk to her about sex.

"Now I was your age once and I know what it's like when you're in love,"

"Dad!" Bella whined

"I know this is embarrassing Bells, but my parents didn't talk to me about these things and Renee's didn't talk to her either. If they had, we might've been more careful."

"You don't have to worry about me."

"I know you're a smart girl, but you're still my little girl and you always will be. Just promise me you and Paul will be careful. I'm too young to be a grandpa."

"I promise we'll be careful."

Charlie nodded his head and returned his attention the newspaper and coffee.

"You know Dad, as far as awkward conversations go….this wasn't so bad." Bella smiled at her father

It was true; she had expected the conversation to be filled with lots of stuttering and fumbling over words and an unhealthy amount of blushing.

She was kind of glad that it was Charlie she was having this talk with instead of her mother.

"Hey Dad,"

"Yes?"

"Do you think we could, uh….keep this from Mom?"

"You don't want your mother to know you have a boyfriend?" He asked looking up from his paper

"If she finds out, she'll be giving me the sex talk too and you and well…..it's Renee…."

"Alright, I won't tell her. But don't wait until the boy proposes before you tell her."

Bella's eyes widened comically at that.

"Proposes? Who said anything about marriage? I mean we've been an official couple for less than a day."

"I've seen the way you and that boy look at each other." Charlie responded before refilling his coffee cup

Bella huffed but didn't deny her father's statement; instead she turned to the stove and set about making breakfast.

A few minutes later the doorbell rang and poor Charlie, who had gotten up to answer it, was knocked back into his chair by Bella in her attempts to get out of the kitchen.

"I got it!" She called out as she raced for the door

Charlie laughed at his daughter's enthusiasm and he happily noted that she had never been this excited to see that Cullen boy.

Bella's enthusiasm gave way to nervousness as she opened the door and there stood Paul looking as delectable as ever in his uniform.

"Do I get to come in?" Paul asked

She just nodded her head and stepped out of the way to allow him to enter the house.

After she shut the door, she was turned around and pulled into Paul's embrace.

"Why are you so nervous?" He asked

"I don't know."

"You don't need to be nervous; you're still my little swan and I'm still your wolf boy." He said tucking a strand of hair behind her ear

"But you said I couldn't call you wolf boy." She pointed out

"I'm willing to make an exception." He grinned

"Oh really." She smiled

"Mmhmm, on one condition." He replied pulling her closer

"And what's that?"

"Let me kiss you." He whispered against her ear

Her breathe hitched and she whispered out,

"Yes."

Paul kept the kiss short, mindful of the fact that Charlie wasn't far away, but it still left Bella breathless.

"If I would've known just how fantastic a kisser you were, I might've kissed you a long time ago." Bella sighed leaning into his chest

"Fantastic, huh?"

"I've really got to stop boosting your ego." Bella laughed

"I don't mind it." Paul grinned

Bella swatted his chest and pulled back, grabbing his hand and tugging.

"Come on Wolf Boy, I've got to finish breakfast."

At the mention of breakfast, Paul swooped Bella up into his arms and hurried into the kitchen.

"Morning Paul."

"Morning Charlie." Paul responded as he put Bella her on her feet

Charlie and Paul begin a conversation about the latest news in sports while Bella set about finishing off the sausage and mixing up pancake batter.

She hadn't a clue what her Dad and Paul were talking about but it was nice to stand there at the stove, listening to them chatter in the background. The atmosphere was comfortable and she founded herself thinking back on when she had been with Edward and realized that it had never been like this when he was around. Charlie had never made his dislike of Edward a secret and she wondered why she hadn't paid more attention to that; she could see now that it had been more than just a father's concern for his daughter. But that was in the past and there was no point in dwelling on it now.

After breakfast was over, Paul took care of the dishes while Bella went upstairs to finish getting ready for school.

* * *

Paul could feel Charlie's eyes on him as he washed the dishes and he just knew he was in for one of those _'hurt my daughter and I'll kill you'_ speeches.

"Do you love my daughter?"

"_Ok….not how I thought this conversation was going to start_" Paul thought to himself

"More than you could ever imagine." He replied

"Good."

Paul was confused. There had been no threats of bodily harm, no _'I'll make sure your bodies never found'._

"_Is this some sort of tactic to make me nervous? Like I'm going to play it cool and scare you with silence? Cuz if it is…. its working._" Paul thought to himself as he dried the last of the dishes.

"And I'm sure I don't need to tell you what will happen to you, if you hurt her."

"_There it is." _He thought

"No sir."

"Well, I'll be out in the car." Charlie said, slapping him on the back before grabbing his gun belt off the table and heading for the front door

Bella came downstairs shortly after and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

"He didn't threaten you did he?"

"Huh?"

"My Dad; I know he had 'the talk' with you but he didn't threaten you did he?"

"It wasn't said outright, but it was definitely implied."

"He didn't have to do that." Bella grumbled

"Yes he did. He's your dad and you're his little girl, his ONLY little girl." He told her as he pulled her to him and placed a kiss upon her temple

"I guess."

Paul took Bella's backpack from her and ushered her towards the front door, saying that she would be late if she didn't get a move on.

"Keys please?" Bella said, holding out her hand and leaning against Lucy

"Kiss please." Paul responded

Bella was more than happy to oblige.

"Alright you two!" Charlie called out from the cruiser

"I can't wait till this weekend when I've got you all to myself and I can steal all the kisses I want without interruption."

"It's not stealing if I give willingly." Bella quipped

"This is true." He grinned

After one more kiss, and a honking of the horn from Charlie, the two separated.

* * *

When Bella got to school, she met up with Angela who was quick to notice the happiness that Bella was exuding.

"Someone's happy this morning."

"Unbelievably so." Bella sighed as she pulled out her phone to send a message to Paul

**Made it safe and sound. Be safe out there. Love you. – B**

"And would I be right to assume that this has something to do with a certain boy from La Push?"

"You would." She grinned as she looked down at her phone and read Paul's reply

_Thanks for the txt. Love you too. - P_

"So you two are officially a couple now?"

"Yep."

"I'm so happy for you!" Angela squealed, pulling Bella into a hug

"Thanks Angie; I want you and Ben to meet him, so maybe we could do a double date this weekend?"

"That would be awesome."

Angela was so happy for Bella and she couldn't wait to meet this guy who had managed to put such a smile on Bella's face.

Several other people had noticed Bella's good mood and most everyone seemed to be happy that Bella was happy but as always there was that one person who couldn't stand to see someone be happier than them.

Jessica Stanley had made all kinds of comments about Bella that day; all in attempts to bring Bella down because as the saying goes 'misery loves company'.

For the most part Bella ignored Jessica's comments, but as she sat in her last class of the day she decided that she had enough and decided to speak up.

"What do you have against other people being happy? Is it that you're so miserable that you just can't stand to see someone who's not? Well I've got news for you Jessica; no matter what you say or do you aren't going to be able to bring me down. So perhaps you should spend your time focusing on something worthwhile."

Judging by the look on Jessica's face, Bella had been spot on. Those who had heard what Bella said stared at Jessica waiting to hear what she would say but Jessica just huffed and glared at Bella.

Bella just shrugged her shoulders and turned back around in her seat to work on the review sheet the teacher had handed out.

* * *

**A/N: Review please. And for those of you who might be worried that Jacob is going to try and interfere with Bella and Paul's relationship...there's no need to be worried.**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update...stupid writers block. **

Bella was supposed to spend the weekend with Paul learning about cars but because she had finals the following week they both decided that she should spend the weekend studying instead; he offered to help her study but Bella knew that he would only end up distracting her from studying so she told him no.

Paul had grown used to spending all of his free time with Bella so he felt odd making plans for his weekend, none of which would include Bella.

"Hello?"

"Hey man."

"Hey Paul, what's up?"

"Thinking about going cliff diving, you in?"

"Got nothing better to do."

"Alright, I'll meet you at the cliff."

"Later man."

After Paul hung up the phone he fixed himself a sandwich, grabbed a towel and headed to the beach.

When he got to the beach he saw that Jared was already there and he'd brought along Quil and Embry.

"No Bella?" Quil asked

"Nah; she's got finals coming up so she's studying."

"Does she not like us or something?" Embry asked

"Huh?"

"Well she never hangs out with the pack unless it's at a bon fire, but you two are in your own little world then so it doesn't really count."

"We're just trying to steer clear of Jacob." Paul explained

"Man don't worry about Jacob; he'll get over it eventually." Jared said

"He doesn't have any other choice." Paul replied

The four of them started the climb to the top of the cliff and spent the next four hours diving and horsing around.

Paul realized that he'd missed hanging out with the guys and even though he was having fun, his thoughts kept drifting to Bella. He'd only talked to her briefly this morning which would have appeased him if he was going to be seeing her later, but he wasn't. It still amazed him sometimes how much he had changed since imprinting on Bella; for the most part he was still the same old Paul but when it came to Bella it was like she brought out a whole other side of him and as time passed he found that he didn't mind so much.

After four hours of cliff diving and playing around they were starving and decided to head over to Sam and Emily's to see if she would mind cooking something up.

"I was wondering when you boys were going to show up." Emily smiled as they entered the house

"Something smell's amazing." Quil said as he sniffed the air trying to identify what it was

"I'm cooking spaghetti, it should be ready soon."

When Emily told them it was spaghetti, Paul took a minute to take in the smell and noticed that it did smell good but nothing like Bella's.

They guys took at seat at the table and dug into the bread that Emily placed in front of them and a few minutes later, Sam joined them.

"Paul you've got patrol with Embry tonight." Sam announced as Emily placed a plate in front of him

Paul nodded his head and dug into the spaghetti.

As the night wore on, Paul found himself missing Bella more and more and decided that he would visit her house in wolf form after patrol.

While Paul had spent his day having fun, Bella had spent hers cooped up in her room going over books and notes. The hours seemed to drag by for her and she found herself wishing that Paul was there to distract her every now and then.

* * *

Sunday passed in much the same way Saturday had and when Monday morning came Bella was exhausted and more than ready for her finals.

"Good Morning." Paul grinned when Bella opened the door

Bella gave him a tired smile and a kiss, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the kitchen to eat breakfast.

Paul thanked Bella for the food and pulled her onto his lap where he proceeded to convince her that she needed more than a bagel for breakfast.

A few minutes later, Charlie came into the kitchen and announced that it was time to get going.

"Don't worry about cooking dinner tonight; I'll pick something up from the diner." Charlie said to Bella as they exited the house

Bella nodded her head and took the keys Paul was holding out to her.

"See you later; you two be careful out there." Bella said and gave Paul a kiss before climbing in the car and driving off

When she got to school, Bella made sure to send Paul a text.

**Made it safe and sound – B**

_K. Good Luck. Love you – P_

**Thanks. Love you 2 – B**

* * *

The day dragged on for Bella and she had no idea how she managed to stay awake through all of her finals and she was pretty sure that if asked later, she wouldn't be able to say what was on those test she took.

"How do you think you did?" Angela asked Bella as they walked to the parking lot

"It's all kind of a blur really but I hope I did good."

"Me too. So have you decided what you're going to do after graduation?"

"I'll be going to Port Angeles Community College."

"You know I don't like to pry, but did you decide this or did Paul?"

"Huh?" Bella asked turning to lean against Lucy

"It's just when you were with Edward it seemed like he was the one always making the decisions." Angela replied

Bella could tell that Angela's inquires were made purely out of concern so such a statement didn't irritate her like it would have had it been made by someone else.

"It's not like that with Paul. We talked about me going to college and where I would go; he told me how he felt and what he wanted but in the end the decision was mine." Bella explained

Angela smiled, "When do I get to meet him?"

"He's off on Wednesday, maybe we could all do lunch or something." Bella suggested

"Sounds great; I'll talk to Ben."

Bella nodded, "Well I'm exhausted so I'm gonna head home and get some sleep."

"Me too. I'm really going to miss you Bella." Angela sighed as she pulled her in for a hug

"Oh Ange, it's not like we're never going to see each other again; besides, you're not leaving for another two months." Bella replied

"You're right." She nodded pulling away

"Of course I am; now let's save the water works for graduation or something." Bella laughed

Angela laughed along with her and waved goodbye before heading off to join Ben at his car.

Bella sighed as she entered the house and dropped Paul's keys onto the table by the door; she was beyond tired and felt like she could sleep for days and if it wasn't for the fact that she wanted to spend time with Paul, she probably would've done just that.

She made her way upstairs where she changed into a pair of sweats and collapsed on her bed, falling asleep within seconds.

* * *

When Paul and Charlie entered the house they found it extremely quiet and if it hadn't been for Paul's wolf hearing, he would've have assumed that Bella wasn't even in the house.

"No funny business." Charlie said when he noticed that Paul was making his way upstairs

Paul laughed at Charlie's paranoia but assured him that he was only going to wake Bella up and bring her downstairs to eat.

He entered her room to find her lying on top of the covers, her hair splayed out around her and her hands fisted in her pillow. She looked so peaceful and adorable that he almost didn't want to wake her but he knew that she probably hadn't eaten anything since breakfast so with a sigh he approached the bed.

He ran his fingers through her hair; pushing it off of her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"Bella." He called trailing a finger across her cheek

Her eyelids twitched but there was no other response.

He ran his thumb along her jaw line and called her name again but she remained asleep and unmoving.

He placed soft kisses along her jaw line where his thumb had previously trailed and whispered in her ear; she stirred slightly.

"Bella…..Bella….Wake up." He whispered as he peppered her face with soft kisses

He pressed his lips to hers briefly then he pulled back and watched as the corners of her mouth turned up and her eyelids fluttered.

"Paul?" She whispered

"Hey there little swan." He smiled

"Time is it?" She asked her voice thick with sleep and speech slightly slurred

"8:00. We picked up some burgers."

"Pie?"

"Pie too." Paul laughed

"Yummy" She said as she sat up and rubbed her eyes

Paul smiled and watched as she stretched her arms above her head, her t-shirt riding up and revealing a strip of smooth creamy skin. His smile immediately turned into a mischievous grin and his hands shot to the exposed strip of skin; Bella squawked as the heated fingers came into contact with her slightly chilled skin. Seconds later she began to squeal and peals of laughter filled the room. She squirmed and twisted trying to get away from the fingers that danced across her skin, tickling her as they went. In her attempts to escape the tickling, she failed to notice just how close she was to the edge of the bed and ended up tumbling onto the floor before either her or Paul knew what had happened. The shock of hitting the floor quieted her laughter and her eyes were wide as she stared up at Paul, who was still on the bed.

A few seconds later and Paul had overcome his own shock and scrambled onto the floor to check Bella over for injuries.

"Are you ok?" He questioned as he ran his hands across her scalp, checking for bumps

"Yea." She nodded, wincing as Paul's fingers encountered a bump on the back of her head

"Let's go get some ice for that." He said helping her off the floor

Charlie looked up from his food as the two entered the kitchen.

"What happened?" He asked when he saw Paul hand Bella a bag of ice

"Fell off the bed." Bella explained

After he'd finished his dinner, Charlie headed upstairs and left Bella and Paul to themselves.

* * *

"How did you do on your test?" Paul asked Bella as they headed for the living room

"I think I did ok but I was so tired I don't even remember what was on the tests."

Paul positioned himself on the couch so that his legs were stretched out across the cushions and his back rested against one of the arms; he pulled Bella onto his lap and maneuvered her until her back rested against his chest and comfortably situated between his legs.

The two spent hours talking and eventually ended up falling asleep and were found by Charlie the next morning.

**A/N: Reviews are welcomed and appreciated (even the not so nice ones).**


	20. Chapter 20

Charlie woke up the next morning to a quiet house and the realization that he never heard Paul leave the night before. He thought nothing of it and went about his morning routine as usual.

When he passed by Bella's room on his way to the stairs he noticed that her door was open and she wasn't in it.

"Bella?" He called out as he made his way down the stairs

He was met with silence.

First he checked the kitchen and found it empty; he happened to glance through the kitchen window and saw that Paul's car was in the driveway.

He walked into the living room and at first thought it to be empty but as he came around the other side of the couch he saw Bella and Paul lying there.

"ISABELLA MARIE SWAN!"

Both Bella and Paul jumped; scrambling to disentangle themselves….elbows and knees digging into the most painful of places. They rolled off of the couch and onto the floor, barely missing the coffee table.

"Uh, morning Dad."

"Care to explain?" He asked crossing his arms

"Umm….we fell asleep?" Bella replied

"We didn't mean to fall asleep sir." Paul added

Charlie figured he had two options at this point, he could continue to be angry and yell at them or he could be rational and realize that perhaps they had accidentally fallen asleep.

Rationality eventually won out.

"Don't let it happen again." He grumbled and left the room

Bella and Paul stared at each other in shock.

"Uh…"

"Ummm….."

"I should probably go now." Paul said helping Bella off the floor

"Yea..."

Bella was surprised that her father had reacted so calmly and she wasn't sure whether she should ask him about it or just let it be. Before she could decide what to do, Charlie announced that he was leaving for work.

She could only imagine how awkward things were going to be for Paul that day.

* * *

After going home for a shower and his uniform, Paul headed into the station and when he got there he was informed that he would be on desk duty for the day. He wasn't sure whether he should be thankful for that or worried.

Paul didn't see Charlie for the entire work day and when it was time to leave he wondered if he would be welcome at the Chief's house or if he should just go home.

"_Hello?"_

"_Hey Bells."_

"_Hey, what are you up to?"_

"_Just got off work; is your Dad home?"_

"_Yea, why?"_

"_Has he said anything about this morning?"_

"_No. Did he say anything to you?"_

"_I was on desk duty today so I didn't see him."_

"_Oh."_

"Bella, is that Paul on the phone?" Charlie asked from the living room

"Yes sir!" She called back

"Tell him to come over."

"Umm, ok."

"_Dad says to come over."_

"_Ok. Should I pick up dinner or something?"_

"_I've already started dinner, so no."_

"_Ok. See you soon."_

"_Ok. Love you."_

"_Love you too."_

Bella returned to the kitchen to cook dinner and wondered over what was going to happen when Paul arrived.

Ten minutes later Paul arrived and greeted Bella with a short kiss before going to the living room to greet her father.

"Hello Sir." He said nervously

"Have a seat."

Paul did as instructed and waited for Charlie to speak.

Just when the silence had become uncomfortable, Charlie spoke.

"No more sleepovers."

Paul waited for Charlie to continue but after several minutes passed and nothing else was said he became confused.

"Sir?"

"You can still call me Charlie."

"Umm, ok. Is that all you wanted to say sir?"

"No sex in my house."

"Yes sir." Paul nodded

That had gone much differently than Paul expected. He'd fully expected some sort of freak out and a limit on the amount of time he could spend at the Swan residence, but he received neither. Weren't fathers supposed to be overprotective and go totally ballistic the first time they found their daughter asleep with a guy?

"Why don't you go into the kitchen and help Bella with dinner." Charlie suggested

Paul nodded his head and headed for the kitchen.

* * *

Bella was standing in front of the stove with a wooden spoon in her hand and seemed to be off in her own little world.

"What are you cooking?"

Bella jumped and spun around,

"How on earth do you move so quietly?" She grumbled

Paul shrugged his shoulders and enveloped her in a hug.

"You smell good." He sighed burying his face in her hair

"Thank you." She smiled relaxing into his embrace

After a few moments they pulled apart and Bella turned back to the stove.

"So what did you guys talk about?" She asked

Paul positioned himself behind Bella and wrapped his arms around her waist,

"He just told me no more sleepovers and no sex in his house."

"That's it?"

"Yea; did he say anything to you?"

"He asked me if we were being safe but that was it."

"Oh."

"Yea…so how was work?"

"Well some lady called in to report her cat missing, told me she'd had that cat for fifteen years and it had never run away. Then she asked me if I could send an officer out to look for it and when I told her that the police didn't handle stuff like that, she started crying."

"So what did you do?"

"I transferred her to someone else."

Bella smacked him with the wooden spoon.

"What was that for?"

"You should've helped her."

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Couldn't you have gone to look for the cat?"

"That's not my job though."

"So if I call you one day crying because my cat's gone missing, you won't go looking for it?"

"But you don't have a cat."

"Pretend I do."

"Ok….if you one day call me about this hypothetical cat, I would go looking for it."

Bella smiled and returned attention to the food on the stove.

**A/N: Sorry this chapter was so short, the next chapter will be longer I promise.**** [Reviews are appreciated.]**


	21. Chapter 21

**I aim to keep my reader's happy so if you don't want Edward or any of the other Cullen's to make an appearance then plz let me know.**

The next day was Wednesday and just as they had discussed the night before, Bella and Paul met Angela and Ben for lunch in Port Angeles.

"Are we ever going to get my truck fixed?" Bella asked as she slid into the passenger seat of Paul's car

"I don't know….I kind of like having you drive Lucy." Paul shrugged

"And why is that?"

"Can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because the guys would never let me live it down."

"But there not here so they won't know."

"We can see each others thoughts in wolf form remember?"

"Oh….well then wouldn't they already know?"

"No."

"Please tell me?"

If Paul had just kept his eyes on the road he would've been able to resist Bella's plea.

"Ugh, you know I can't deny you anything when you look at me like that." Paul groaned

Bella's pout immediately turned into a mischievous grin and Paul realized she had been completely aware of what she was doing.

"You sneaky little swan." He laughed

"Well spill Wolf boy."

"Your scent lingers."

"Huh?"

"The more time you spend in this car the longer your scent lingers,"

"I'm confused."

'_Here goes my man card.'_ Paul thought to himself

"Your scent is comforting to me and my wolf side."

Bella smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek, choosing not to voice just how sweet she thought that was because she knew it would probably only embarrass him more when the guys saw it.

Angela watched as Bella and Paul entered the restaurant and made their way to the booth.

"Hey guys, this is Paul. Paul this is Angela and Ben."

"Nice to meet you." Paul nodded as he motioned for Bella to slide in

"I want to sit on the outside." Bella said

"You really want to shove me into that little corner?" He asked raising an eyebrow

Bella realized that it would be a tight and most likely uncomfortable fit for Paul so she slid into the booth. Paul slid in beside her and planted a kiss on her temple before grabbing her hand and bringing it to rest with his on the table top.

The conversation was slow and there were quite a few awkward silences until Ben asked Paul about his car.

"I think they've forgotten we're here." Bella said to Angela

"Well at least they're getting along; it would suck if our boyfriends didn't like each other."

Bella nodded in agreement and took a sip of her water.

A few moments later the waiter came to take their orders.

"I'll have a burger. No cheese, no mayo and extra pickles."

After Ben had ordered Angela order hers.

"I'll have a chicken salad, dressing on the side please."

"What do you want Bells?" Paul asked turning to Bella

"I think I want the bacon cheeseburger."

"Alright….two bacon cheeseburgers, one with everything on it and one without mayo or mustard." Paul said handing the menus to the waiter

After the waiter walked off Bella turned to Paul,

"How did you know I didn't want mayor or mustard?"

"Because every time you order a burger you scrape the mayo and mustard off." He replied

"You noticed that?" Bella asked surprised because even her Dad wasn't aware of that fact

"Yea."

Bella smiled and leaned in to give him a kiss. Both were mindful of the fact that they weren't alone and kept the kiss short and sweet.

'_That's so sweet.'_ Angela thought to herself as she watched Bella and Paul.

The boys returned to their previous conversation while Bella and Angela talked about their upcoming graduation and how they felt about starting college in the fall.

Once the food arrived, conversation ceased except for the few words here and there.

"It was really nice meeting you Paul; the four of us should get together again soon." Angela said as they exited the restaurant

"Sounds good to me." Paul responded shaking Ben's hand

The couples said their goodbyes and headed off in separate directions.

"So what do you think of Angela and Ben?" Bella asked as her Paul started walking towards the book store

"Angela seems a like a real nice girl, I can definitely see why you two are friends. Ben's cool I guess, a little geekier than I'm used to but he's cool." He shrugged

"Good…I was hoping that you guys would get along ok."

"Do you wish you were going away to school with them?"

"Not really….I think it would be a great experience but with the whole imprint thing, it'd be really hard. And you have your responsibilities within the pack so we wouldn't be able to see each other often."

"Yea."

Bella could since that Paul wanted to say more but being out in public like they were, they couldn't really talk as freely as they would like.

"Do you have a specific book you want to get or are you just here for whatever?" Paul asked as he opened the door to the bookstore

"Whatever catches my eye." She shrugged

Paul groaned but allowed Bella to pull him along through the store.

After an hour Bella still hadn't decided on a book and Paul was growing impatient.

"Can you just pick one out already?" He groaned

"You know you don't have to stay here with me, you could always go wait at the car or something."

"And leave you here alone? I think not."

"Then stop complaining." She replied

Paul huffed and went back to watching Bella peruse the shelves.

Another 30 minutes later and Bella had finally picked something out.

"Finally." Paul sighed as he followed her to checkout

"Oh hush." She laughed smacking him on the chest

After purchasing her books they headed back to the car and made their way to Bella's house.

* * *

When Charlie got home, he found Bella and Paul lounging on the couch and eyed them suspiciously as he moved to sit in his chair.

"What did you two do today?"

"We had lunch with Angela and Ben and then stopped by the bookstore."

"Word of advice Charlie, never go into a book store with Bells."

"We were only in there for like an hour."

"Hour and a half." He corrected

Bella stuck her tongue out at him only to have him catch it between his fingers.

"It's not nice to stick your tongue out at people."

Bella's only response was a glare.

Paul smiled and released her tongue, leaning into give her a kiss.

Charlie was more than a little uncomfortable watching his daughter and her boyfriend kissing like the teenagers they were so using the excuse of needing a shower, he slipped from the room. Paul seemed to be the only one who had heard him and just waved a hand to single he'd been heard.

When they broke apart, Bella noticed that her father was no longer in his chair.

"Said he was going to take a shower."

"He did? I didn't hear a thing." She frowned

"You were distracted." Paul grinned

Bella opened her mouth to speak but then thought better of it not wanting to inflate Paul's already giant ego, even more.

"Can I ask you something?" Paul asked turning his head to look at Bella whose attention was focused on the T.V.

"Mmhmm." She nodded

"If you changed your mind would you tell me?"

Bella turned her attention from the T.V. and stared at Paul,

"What are you talking about?"

"If you decided you wanted to go off to college or something, would you tell me?"

"Well yeah, but I'm pretty sure I won't be changing my mind."

"Ok."

"I should probably go start on dinner." Bella sighed

"You want some help?" Paul asked

"Well if you want to go fire up the grill, we could have steaks."

"Sounds good to me."

"Dad!" Bella called up the stairs

"Yea?"

"Will you come and show Paul where the stuff is for the grill!"

"Be down in a minute!" He called back

Paul followed Bella back into the kitchen and helped her prep the steak for the grill.

"Anything in particular you want to go with them?" Bella asked

"I'll eat just about anything, you know that." Paul replied

Bella decided roasting potatoes would be the quickest and easiest thing to cook.

A few minutes later Charlie entered the kitchen and told Paul to follow him into the backyard.

"You like fishing?" Charlie asked

"I wouldn't know; I've never been fishing."

"Well I've got some extra fishing poles, why don't you join me and Harry this weekend?"

"Sure." Paul replied

'_Like I'm really going to say no to a fishing trip with my girlfriend's father.' _Paul thought to himself

After dinner Paul bid Bella and Charlie goodnight and headed home to get some rest before his patrol shift.

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are of course appreciated. **


	22. Chapter 22

"You nervous?" Paul asked as he watched Bella search for her shoes

"AHA!" She cried when she found them

"Why would I be nervous?" She asked sliding the shoes on

"You're going to be walking across a stage in front of hundreds of people…..what if you trip or something?"

"Well, I wasn't worried about that…until now." She said glaring at him

"Bella your mother's here!" Charlie called up the stairs

"Come on wolf boy, let's go." Bella grinned pulling on his hand

Bella was a little nervous about introducing Paul to her mother and hoped that her mom wouldn't be too upset that she hadn't told her about Paul before now.

Renee was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with tears in her eyes as she watched her daughter descend.

"Hi mom." Bella smiled as her mother pulled her into a hug

"My little girl is graduating! Seems like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital." She sniffled

"Uh…..Mom…there's someone I'd like you to meet." Bella said stepping aside so that Paul was now directly in her mother's line of sight

"Well who is this handsome young man?"

"Mom, this is Paul…..my boyfriend."

"It's nice to finally meet you Mrs. Dwyer." Paul smiled

"Oh please call me Renee, Mrs. Dwyer makes me sound so old."

Paul nodded his head in reply.

"So how long have you two been together?" She asked looking over at Bella

"Not very long." Bella answered nervously, ducking her head to avoid the look she was sure her mother was giving her

"Why haven't I heard anything about this?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders, "I guess I didn't want to tell you until I knew for sure this was serious and going somewhere."

"Did Charlie know you two were dating?" Renee asked

"Yes." Bella replied

As Renee opened her mouth to reply, Charlie stepped in and announced that they needed to get going or they would be late.

Bella sent her Dad a smile and a silent thank you before allowing Paul to guide her out of the house and into his car.

A few weeks ago, Bella couldn't wait for this day to arrive but now that it had she wasn't sure if she should be happy or sad. She was beyond glad to be finished with high school and all the immaturity and drama that went with it but she was sad that in just a few short months she would be saying goodbye to the only girl who had ever really been her friend.

After the last person had walked across the stage and the caps were thrown Bella said her goodbyes to Angela and Ben and promised to meet up with them at least once more before they left for college and then she went in search of her family.

When she finally spotted them, she was surprised to see that Billy and the pack had joined them.

"Thank you guys so much for coming." Bella smiled as she leaned down to hug Billy and then allowed herself to be pulled into a hug by both Embry and Quil

The group made small talk and plans for a bonfire the next night before they dispersed and headed for the parking lot.

Dinner at the Swan house that night was a relatively calm affair, filled with laughter and Renee's endless questions about Paul and his relationship with her daughter. Paul had no problem turning on the charm for Bella's mother and making her believe he was the greatest thing since sliced bread, which Bella found amusing but she appreciated the fact that Paul was willing to try so hard.

* * *

"I could just stay with Paul tonight." Bella suggested as Charlie, Renee and Phil tried to figure out sleeping arrangements

"That's up to you Bells."

Bella looked at Charlie like he'd grown a second head. Wasn't it just the other day that he had told her 'no sleepovers'?

Charlie had wanted to tell her absolutely not; that even though she was eighteen and a high school graduate there was no way his baby girl was spending the night at her boyfriend's house…nope…not gonna happen. But he was smart enough to realize that at some point such a thing would happen, with or without his permission and or knowledge. His baby girl wasn't a baby anymore; she wasn't a little girl who needed her daddy's permission for, well anything really.

"But Bella, we're leaving Monday and I really wanted to spend some time with you before we left." Renee complained

"We can spend some time together on Sunday."

"Why not tomorrow?" Renee whined

"There's a bonfire tomorrow, and I'll be spending the day with some of the girls cooking and stuff."

"A bonfire, I haven't been to one of those in years. That's sounds like so much fun. Wouldn't that be fun Phil?" She asked turning and batting her eyes at him

"Actually mom it's kind of a no adult's thing."

Bella could see the disappointment on her mother's face and she felt kind of bad for it but she couldn't exactly say _"Sorry Mom, it's a pack and imprint thing only."_

"Oh, ok. Well Sunday's fine."

"I'm going fishing tomorrow so I better head to bed. Paul, I'll swing by and pick you up before I head to Harry's. Goodnight Bells, be safe. Night Renee, Phil." Charlie waved as he headed for the stairs

"What is he picking you up for?" Bella asked turning to look at Paul

"I'm going fishing with him and Harry."

"But what about the bonfire?"

"I'll be back in time for that. And you'll be spending the day cooking with Emily so you'll be fine."

"I guess." Bella pouted

"Hey," Paul said pulling Bella to him and tilting her head so that she was looking up at him

"No pouting. I've got Friday off next week so we'll spend the whole weekend together, ok."

"Ok."

Paul leaned down for a quick kiss and softly stroked Bella's cheek before letting her go so she could pack her bag.

Renee watched the exchange between the two and was so happy that Bella had found a man who so obviously loved and adored her. Paul's size and stature made him seem intimidating and no one would have ever expected that someone is size could be so gentle, but when it came to Bella he was.

* * *

**I really do appreciate any and all reviews that I receive and they motivate me to continue writing, so if you're taking the time to read this story please take the time to review it as well. **


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Thank you to those of you who have reviewed the previous chapter(s). And of course I do NOT own Twilight or any of the characters associated with it just this lovely little plot here. **

* * *

It was the first weekend after Bella's graduation and after talking it over with her father, she would be spending the entire weekend at Paul's house.

"I still can't believe my Dad agreed to this." She said as she packed her bag

"The talk we had when we went fishing, may have helped."

"You guys had a talk? What did you talk about?" Bella asked turning to stare at Paul who was sitting on her bed

"We talked about a lot of things."

"Like?"

"Sorry little swan, can't tell ya."

"Why not?" Bella asked beginning to pout

"Uh huh….that's not gonna work." Paul said shaking his head

"Are you sure?" She asked going into full 'puppy dog pout'

Paul sighed, "Come here little swan."

Bella's pout immediately turned into a grin as she moved to stand between Paul's legs.

Paul reached out and pulled Bella closer to him, lifting her up and placing her on his lap. He brought their bodies as close together as he could get them and moved in until their faces were inches apart.

His breath ghosted across her lips, making her shiver; his tongue darted out to wet his own lips, briefly touching Bella's as well. He could feel the change in Bella's breathing and could hear her heart beating faster. Keeping his eyes on Bella's he kissed her softly then pulled back, giving her only seconds before diving back for a much more heated kiss. When the kiss was over, Bella was dazed and breathing heavily and a smile slowly spread across Paul's face.

"Ready to go?" He asked

"Huh?"

Paul chuckled and lifted Bella off his lap, making sure to keep a grip on her waist, and stood. Once he was sure that Bella wasn't going to fall over, he released his grip and moved to grab her bag that she'd left by the closet.

"Come on." He said grabbing her hand and pulling slightly

Bella followed behind him still in a bit of a daze and trying to remember what they had been talking about before the kiss.

It wasn't until they'd reached the car that she managed to snap out of it.

"You jerk!" She exclaimed punching him in the arm

Paul laughed and pulled her against his chest, she struggled against him for a bit before giving in and wrapping her arms around him.

"That wasn't nice Paul." She grumbled

"You're right….forgive me?" He asked

"Just this once." She sighed

"I Love you." Paul grinned

Bella couldn't help but smile, "And I love you too wolf boy."

The ride to Paul's house was spent in comfortable silence and Bella watching the way the muscles in Paul's arm moved when he switched gears.

"After we eat I'll introduce you to Maggie." Paul said, grabbing Bella's bag from the backseat

"Why didn't you show her to me the last time I was here?" Bella asked as she followed behind him

"It was too dark."

Bella wouldn't admit it to Paul, but she was kind of excited about getting to see the car. She'd grown accustomed to driving Lucy and had come to appreciate the beauty that it was, so she could only imagine that Maggie was absolutely gorgeous; at this point she wouldn't mind it one bit if her truck never got fixed.

After breakfast was devoured and the mess cleaned, Paul dragged Bella outside to Maggie.

He slowly pulled the cover off to reveal an unbelievably shiny shade of blue Bella couldn't recall having ever seen on a car before.

Bella's mouth dropped open in awe as she stared at the beauty that was Maggie.

"Fuck, that's hot!"

Paul, who had been staring at his car, turned to Bella with wide eyes.

Bella was in her own little world as she approached the car and began to gently slide her hand along the cars smooth and shiny surface.

"Please tell me you're going to let me drive her. Please, please, please." Bella pleaded

Paul hadn't been expecting this reaction at all; he had expected Bella to look at the car and say something along the lines of _"it's pretty, now what?" _or to just stare at it like it was some foreign object.

"So I'm guessing you won't be upset when I tell you we're going to spend the weekend getting you acquainted with the ins and outs of my cars."

"As long as you let me drive Maggie, I don't care what we do."

"Alright let's get this show on the road."

* * *

For the next few hours Bella watched and listened as Paul educated her on all things Maggie. She learned that Maggie was a 1969 Mach 1 Ford Mustang, something that Paul had told her previously but she hadn't cared to remember it.

"Now this here is a 428 Cobra Jet that yields 335 horsepower and it's equipped with Ram Air."

"Is that car speak for really awesome engine?" She asked

Paul laughed and nodded his head.

"She's also equipped with a drag pack."

"A what?" She asked wrinkling her forehead in confusion

"Drag pack; I could explain it to you but that might confuse you more so we'll cover that later."

"Ok….So do I get to drive now?"

"I'm starving so let's eat first."

"Then we drive?" She asked, almost bouncing with excitement

"Then we drive." He chuckled

For someone who had previously thought that learning about cars and their parts was pointless, she sure was excited now.

Paul chuckled as he watched Bella scarf down half of her sandwich, he wasn't sure she'd even chewed.

Once lunch had been consumed Paul led Bella back outside and to the passenger side of Maggie.

"I don't get to drive?" She pouted

"I'm gonna show you how to handle her and then we'll switch on the way back." He explained

Bella was a little disappointed that she had to wait even longer but nodded her head and settled into the seat.

The sound of the engine coming to life was like music to their ears and a grin spread across both their faces as Paul shifted into gear and took off.

They flew down the roads of La Push, the wind rushing in through the open windows and the sound of the gears shifting were the only noise that filled the car.

Bella watched the way Paul handled the car; the way his arm moved when he shifted gears. The way his muscles twitched and flexed under that unbelievably smooth and russet colored skin left her feeling all kinds of hot and bothered.

"You ready to give it a go?" Paul asked, snapping Bella out of her thoughts

"Yea."

After they switched seats, Paul gave her a few tips before giving her the go ahead.

There was something about watching Bella behind the wheel of Maggie, the way she gripped the steering wheel and shifted gears like a pro; it had Paul in need of a very cold shower.

When they pulled up in front of Paul's house both he and Bella were a little disappointed that the ride was over.

Paul emerged from the car and was surprised to find that Bella was already standing in front of him and he had very little time to react before she'd grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss.

"That was hot." She gasped as she pulled back from the kiss

"The kiss or the drive?" He asked

"Both." She replied leaning in for another kiss

"Well I'll let you drive Maggie anytime you want if it will get you to kiss me like that." He grinned as they pulled apart again

"I'm more interested in watching YOU drive." She grinned

"What exactly are you insinuating my little swan?" He asked pulling her as close to him as possible

Bella's only response was a sly smile and a peck to the lips before turning and heading into the house.

* * *

**A/N: As always, thanks for taking the time to read and reviews are always appreciated. **


	24. Chapter 24

The summer seemed to fly by and before she knew it, Bella was standing in the airport waving goodbye to Ben and Angela. She was sad to see them go but she knew it wouldn't be the last time she saw them and there was always phone calls and email. Another thing that made saying goodbye to them easier was the fact that she had Paul. Over the summer the two had settled into a routine of dinner at the Swan house Monday through Thursday and then Bella would spend the weekend at Paul's. Friday nights were spent around a fire on the beaches of La Push with the pack and the imprints and on some occasions the elders as well. Her bond with Paul grew stronger and she came to see his pack brothers as her own. She had a harder time adjusting to Kim but fell into an easy friendship with Emily and she'd even talked Emily into taking some class at PACC (Port Angeles Community College). Bella's relationship with Jake was still awkward and nothing like what it had once been and she wondered if they would ever get back to being best friends. In the beginning Jake's anger towards her had been hurtful and pained her deeply but though she'd essentially lost Jake, she'd gained and an amazing group of friends that were becoming more like family. And somehow in growing closer to Paul, she had also grown closer to her father.

It may have had something to do with the fact that Paul was more than willing to spend time with Charlie and share his 'Bella time' with him as well; It may have been that Paul had taken to spending every other Saturday morning fishing with Charlie. Or perhaps it was the fact that Paul understood that Bella was Charlie's only child and as far as blood family went, she was all he had left; Paul seemed to understand Charlie's need to hold onto his little girl a little while longer while learning to let go of her at the same time. So Bella never felt like she was having to choose between her boyfriend and father; something she'd always felt she was doing with Edward. Paul had even convinced Bella to spend some of her weekends with Charlie instead of him, even though the both of them knew it drove them crazy being apart for entire weekend.

* * *

On one of their weeknight dinners at the Swan house, Charlie broached a subject that they had all been thinking about for quite some time.

"So when should I be expecting you to move out?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me or something?" Bella asked

"Of course not, but I know you won't live here forever. I guess I'd like some time to prepare myself for it." Charlie shrugged

"You never know Dad; I might just decide to live here forever." She grinned

"I think Paul might have something to say about that." Charlie laughed at the look on Paul's face that clearly said he wasn't in agreement with such a thing

"I suppose you're right; and there wouldn't be enough room for the three of us and the kids."

Charlie's eyes widened at this statement, "Kids? What kids?"

"The kids we're going to have after we're married." Bella explained

"Married?" Charlie asked a hint of panic in his voice

"Yes Dad, married. You know that thing that usually comes after moving out of your parents' house and before kids."

Paul had remained quiet through this particular discussion but on the inside he was doing a little happy dance.

'_My imprint wants to marry me ….. She wants to have my kids …. I'm going to make babies with my imprint … My imprint is gonna be my wife!'_

Bella looked over at Paul and noticed the grin on his face,

"What are you smiling about?"

"You want to have my babies." He replied, his grin growing wider

Bella rolled her eyes at him.

After dinner, Paul and Bella headed upstairs to her room while Charlie settled in the living room to watch some sort of fishing show.

* * *

"You start classes next week right?" Paul asked as he and Bella cuddled up on her bed

"Yea; I'm really glad Emily decided to take some classes too."

"You and her have gotten pretty close haven't you?"

"Yeah; I think it's because she understands that imprinting isn't always easy and that even though we get our happily ever after, some people get hurt in the process."

Paul knew that Bella was talking about Jacob when she mentioned people getting hurt.

"Have you tried talking to him?"

Bella nodded her head, "But things are so awkward and he's so distant; it's like he doesn't even want to be my friend anymore."

"I'm definitely not sorry that I imprinted on you but I do wish it hadn't cost you your friendship with Jacob."

"To be honest I was never going to choose Jake anyway; I've only ever seen him as a best friend and brother so either way Jake would've gotten hurt."

Paul planted a kiss on her temple and hugged her closer to him.

"But no matter how much it sucks to not have Jacob as a friend anymore, I've got you and the rest of the pack so I'm ok."

"I love you little swan."

"I love you too wolf boy."

The two remained quiet and content for the next hour or so until Charlie came up to ask what time Paul would be leaving.

"I'll be gone by midnight."

"Alright. I'll see you two in the morning."

A few minutes after they heard Charlie's door shut, Bella asked Paul about the increase in his patrols.

"We've caught scent of a vampire. And with there being four imprints, two of which live outside the Rez, we're all on high alert and want to catch her as soon as possible."

"Why haven't I heard about this?"

"We thought it might be better if you guys didn't know."

"Why. ... How could it be better for us not to know?" She asked and then continued on not giving him a chance to answer

"It worries us more not knowing what's going on; wondering why patrols have increased and why you guys are so paranoid about us going somewhere without you, its nerve racking. I don't know whether you're aware of this but Kim, Emily, and I have very active imaginations and we tend to think up all sorts of horrific scenarios when you guys are out on patrol. I'm just glad Claire isn't old enough to understand all this stuff."

"Well why didn't you tell me you were so worried?" He asked stroking her cheek softly

"Because I knew you would worry about me being worried and I didn't want you to." She responded

"Well aren't we just a couple of idiots. Here we are trying to keep each other from worrying so much but all we've managed to do is make each other worry more."

"So how about from now on you tell me about your patrols and I'll tell you if I'm worried about something. And maybe you could talk to Jared and Sam about doing the same with their girls." Bella suggested

"I can do that. Now how bout we lay here and make out like the teenagers we are before I have to head home." Paul grinned as he rolled so that he was on top of Bella but supporting his weight with his arms which were placed on either side of her head

"Best idea you've had all day."

"I don't know about that, I thought up a pretty good one during dinner." He grinned

"And what was that?"

"It was something like this only I envisioned us wearing a lot less clothes."

"That's why you were grinning like that!" She laughed, slapping him on his chest

"I couldn't help it; you were talking about marriage and kids and I was thinking of all the fun we could have making Paul Jr."

Bella laughed, "Paul Jr?"

"Well we wouldn't have to name him that, but you get the idea."

"Mmhmm. So I guess I should see about getting some birth control because I don't think either one of us are actually ready for a Paul Jr."

"I'm excited already." He smiled deviously

"As if I didn't already know that." Bella laughed

"But you do know it takes about a month before the birth control is actually effective."

Paul groaned and rested his head on Bella's shoulder, "I think I can wait that long."

"Well there's other stuff we can do before that; right?" She questioned, a little hesitance in her voice

Paul's eyes snapped open at this, "Bella are you a virgin?"

Bella blushed and nodded.

Paul groaned again.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Not a bad thing at all, but I should probably get out of here before I forget to control myself."

"Umm, ok."

"Don't worry little swan, it makes me very happy to know that I'm the only man who will ever have you." He reassured her

Bella relaxed at that statement and she leaned up to give Paul a kiss.

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please take the time to review because it is very much appreciated. I've already got the ending pretty much worked out for this but there's always room for changes so if anyone has any suggestions or something they'd like to see before 'Kiss or Kill' comes to an end ... please let me know. **


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter(s). **

Bella and Emily started school the following Monday and the two of them weren't sure if it was them or their mates that were the most nervous; Bella fully understood Paul's nervousness and paranoia but Sam had chosen not to inform Emily about patrols and the vampire scents, so she just thought they were being overprotective and a bit ridiculous.

"I'm really glad you talked me into this." Emily said as her and Bella exited their first class

"Me too; it's nice not to be doing this alone and I think it makes Paul feel a little better to know I'm not here by myself."

"I think that's the only reason Sam was ok with me taking classes here. I don't understand what he's so worried about though, the Cullen's are gone now so it's not like I'm in any danger right?"

Bella almost envied Emily's ignorance of the fact that danger didn't just disappear because the Cullen's disappeared.

"Well we've never really been this far away from them, and even if we've been away from them there's always been at least one of the boys close by."

Emily nodded her head in agreement, "So I guess we'll meet at the car after our last class?"

"Where is your last class at?"

"it's in the Science and Technology building."

"Mine too; so we can just meet up in the front."

"Ok. See ya." Emily said, giving a wave and walking off to find her next class

On her way to class, Bella decided to call Paul and see how his day was going and to let him know that she was safe and all was well.

* * *

"_Hey."_

"_Hey you; I wasn't expecting to hear from you until later this afternoon."_

"_I figured you might appreciate a call a little sooner."_

"_I do. So how do you like your classes so far?"_

"_Well the first one wasn't so bad; the teacher is a young guy and he seems pretty cool. And he gave us a syllabus that I'll look over later."_

"_So you're enjoying yourself?"_

"_So far; how's work?"_

"_Well I got to write a speeding ticket, well it was really just a warning, this morning."_

"_Was it as exciting as you'd hoped it would be?"_

Paul sighed, _"Not at all. The lady was visiting a family member or something but she wasn't familiar with the area and she was lost ….. And then she cried."_

When silence followed, Paul just knew Bella was getting a kick out of this.

"_You're laughing aren't you?"_

Bella stifled her giggles and responded, _"I'm sorry but it is kind of funny how you're always getting stuck with the criers."_

"_I guess." _He huffed

"_Well I've got to go into class now, so I'll talk to you later."_

"_Call or text me when you're headed home."_

"_Will do; love you."_

"_Love you too."_

* * *

When she walked into the classroom, she was pleased to find that there weren't very many people there yet so she didn't have to endure that awkward moment of trying to find a seat in a crowded classroom while everyone stared at you.

A few minutes later all the seats were filled and the teacher stood behind a podium at the front of the room peering out at his students.

Five minutes into the teacher's explanation of what the course would entail and what would be expected of the students, Bella knew that Business 101 was going to be the most boring hour and fifteen minutes of her life. She also knew that this would be the one and only time she sat in the front row of seats; Mr. Armstrong had clearly never heard the saying, "say it, don't spray it."

After what seemed like forever Mr. Armstrong dismissed the class and with twenty minutes until her next class, Bella decided to head to the cafeteria for a snack and something to drink.

As she stood in line waiting to pay for her things, she heard someone calling her name.

She looked around trying to spot whoever it was and when she finally did she groaned.

Mike Newton ….. There he was, waving his hands frantically and headed straight for her.

"Bella! Hey Bella!" He shouted as he picked up his pace

Bella figured she had two options here, she could stand there and wait on him to reach her and strike up an awkward and unwanted conversation or she could turn around and pretend she hadn't seen him at all and make a quick escape.

In the end she did what anyone in her situation would do … she turned around, quickly paid for her things and made a quick exit.

She could still hear him calling her and when she heard his footsteps quicken, she looked around for an escape and quickly found one in the form of the girl's bathroom.

Was it cowardly? Sure.

Was it childish? Absolutely.

Did she care? Not at all.

After a few minutes she cracked the door open and peeked around it to see if the coast was clear, after determining that it was she exited the bathroom and made her way to class.

She entered the classroom, slightly embarrassed by all the eyes that turned to stare at her as the door creaked open.

"Bella!"

"_Just my luck" she thought to herself _

She glanced around hoping to find another seat, but there were none.

"Come on Bella, you can sit next to me." Mike called out

"Like I have any other choice." She grumbled under her breath

"So how have you been Bella?"

"Fantastic."

"Good. It's really good seeing you."

"Mmhmm."

"So what have you been up to?"

Thankfully, the teacher chose that moment to enter the classroom and she was saved from having to converse with Mike.

The teacher wasted no time in distributing the syllabi and informing the students of how the grading would work, the test schedule and when homework was to be turned in.

"Anyone have any questions?" The teacher asked

No one raised their hand or gave any indication that they had questions so she dismissed the class.

Bella all but ran from the room, hoping that Emily was already waiting on her just in case Mike decided to follow her.

"Great, you're already here." Bella sighed as she grabbed Emily's arm and began dragging her in the direction of the parking lot

"We in a hurry?" Emily asked

"Yes."

"Any particular reason?"

"Mike Newton." Was Bella's short reply as if that explained everything

"Someone you don't like?" Emily asked

"We went to high school together; he was always following me around like some sort of lost puppy."

"I see."

They were able to make it to the car without running into Mike, something Bella was very grateful for.

Once they were settled in the car Bella sent Paul a text,

**Leaving school, gonna drop Emily off and head to the store to get something for dinner. –B**

**K. Can you make that shrimp pasta? –P**

**Sure. Veggies?-B**

**Yuck.-P**

**Lol … ok, so no veggies for you. Bread?-B**

**:) Cheesy garlic please. –P**

**K. Love you. –B **

**Love you 2. -P**

* * *

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and as always reviews are welcomed and appreciated.  
**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Clearing up the timeline a bit just in case anyone is confused: **

**May - Paul and Bella are officially dating, **

**Late August - School starts **

**Time skip to December - Paul & Bella have been dating for about 8 months now**

**Now on to the story... :)**

It was now December and the girls had breezed through their first semester of classes and were finishing up last minute assignments and finals. They were happy and had enjoyed the time they got to spend with each other and people outside of the pack; it was nice to be able to have a life outside of La Push and their men.

Sam still hadn't told Emily about the vampire scents the pack had been tracking, but Jared had decided to tell Kim which only served to freak her out and she refused to leave the Rez unless accompanied by Jared.

The pack had begun to speculate that the vampire must be after something because the scent always followed a distinct path and seemed to be more concentrated along the treaty line which led them to wonder if what she was after was in La Push or Forks. Paul hoped it was neither and that the vampire was simply toying with them but there was this feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him that wasn't the case. Knowing all of this, Bella had increased the amount of time she spent in La Push, trying her best to ease as much of Paul's worry as she could. She made sure he was always aware of where she was and would inform him if those plans changed; Emily chalked it up to the two of them being in that 'lovey dovey' stage that all couples experience during those first few months and Bella made no move to correct her.

* * *

It was a Friday and a rare day off for Paul, he didn't have to work or patrol, and Bella wanted nothing more than to skip school and just spend the day curled up with him but he insisted that she go to school and that he would have a surprise for her when she got back. So she went to school and spent the entire day wondering what her wolf boy had planned.

While Bella was at school, Paul set about cleaning his house until every surface was spotless and the air held a fresh lemon scent. He then set about procuring a recipe for chocolate chip muffins, which happened to be Bella's favorite, and a mixer. The first batch came out dry and tasteless and he had no idea why until he was staring at all the ingredients set out on the counter tops and realized several of those ingredients had never made it into the batter. He tossed the first batch and looked over the recipe again, taking the time to measure out each ingredient as he read it and set it next to the mixer hoping that it would prevent him from forgetting anything. With everything measured out and ready to go he made quick work of adding everything into the mixer and then pouring it into the muffin pans, which were lined with those little paper cups.

While waiting for the muffins to bake he began prepping the ingredients for dinner; he assembled everything so that the only thing he would have to do later would be to put it in the oven and let it cook.

After that was done and the muffins had been set out to cool, he headed to the store to get some last minute items.

By the time her last class let out, Bella thought she was going to burst from the anticipation and excitement. She usually wasn't one for surprises, in fact she usually hated them, but she had a feeling that whatever surprise Paul had planned was going to be a great one.

* * *

"So what do you think he's planned?" Emily asked on the car ride home

"I have no idea but I can't wait to find out." Bella grinned, bouncing in her seat

"I bet it's something really romantic."

"Really? Paul's not really the romantic type though."

"But he does have his moment's right?"

"Yea."

The rest of the ride was spent with the two girls speculating over what Paul had planned and by the time Bella dropped Emily off, she was more nervous than ever.

Just as Bella started to leave Emily's house and head for home, her phone rang.

"_Hello?"_

"_Hey, how was school?"_

"_It was ok. What have you been up to today?"_

"_You'll see later tonight; that's why I'm calling actually."_

"_Huh?"_

"_Wear something nice and be at my house by 7."_

"_Ummm,ok."_

"_Love you."_

"_Love you too."_

His request for her to where something nice had peaked her curiosity even more and if you asked her, seven o'clock couldn't come fast enough.

When she got home she ran straight to her closet and began looking for something "nice" to wear; she eventually settled on a dress, leggings, because it was winter after all, and a really cute pair of boots that Emily had somehow convinced her to buy when they'd gone shopping a few weeks ago. It still surprised her sometimes at how quickly she would agree to go shopping with Emily and Kim when asked; it might have a lot to do with the fact that they weren't trying to force her into it and they didn't demand she try things on.

Just as she put the finishing touches on her hair and applied a light lip gloss, Charlie poked his head in her room.

"You look nice."

"Thanks Dad." She smiled

"So I'm headed to Billy's, just wanted to say goodnight, good luck and have fun."

"Good luck? What do I need luck for? Do you know something?" She asked springing from her seat in front of her vanity and turning to Charlie who looked a bit like a deer in the headlights

"Uh … no reason; I don't know anything." And with that he quickly disappeared

Though she really wanted him to come back and tell her what he knew, it was almost seven which meant she would be finding out for herself soon enough.

When she pulled up in front of Paul's house she took in the lights strung around the house and wondered when those had been put up.

Paul heard the car pull up and took one more look around to make sure everything was in place, and satisfied with his handy work he headed outside to greet Bella.

"You look beautiful." He smiled, swiping a piece of snow from her nose

"Thank you; you look rather handsome yourself." She smiled, taking in his dark jeans and charcoal grey sweater that clung to his muscles beautifully

"Let's get you inside before you freeze." He said taking the bag from her hand and ushering her into the house

Bella couldn't believe her eyes; the sight before her was absolutely stunning.

"Paul this is gorgeous! Did you do all of this?" She asked turning around to stare at him disbelief

"You like it?"

Bella's response was to nearly tackle him in a hug and a kiss that convinced him he needed to be romantic more often.

* * *

**A/N: I know you guys hate me for ending the chapter here, so no need to tell me that. But you can leave a review and tell me how much you loved it (assuming you did of course)**. **And in case anyone is interested, there are links to Bella's dress & boots as well as Paul's ensemble on my profile. **


	27. Chapter 27

_**Previously:**_

"_**You look beautiful." He smiled, swiping a piece of snow from her nose**_

"_**Thank you; you look rather handsome yourself." She smiled, taking in his dark jeans and charcoal grey sweater that clung to his muscles beautifully**_

"_**Let's get you inside before you freeze." He said taking the bag from her hand and ushering her into the house**_

_**Bella couldn't believe her eyes; the sight before her was absolutely stunning.**_

"_**Paul this is gorgeous! Did you do all of this?" She asked turning around to stare at him disbelief**_

"_**You like it?"**_

_**Bella's response was to nearly tackle him in a hug and a kiss that convinced him he needed to be romantic more often. **_

* * *

After a few minutes, the two broke apart for some much needed air and Paul led Bella to the dining room where she got to see more of his handy work.

She couldn't believe he had done all of this and just for her.

There were candles placed throughout the entire house so that there was just enough light to see but would still be considered romantic. There were picture frames hanging on the walls that hadn't been there before, all of them filled with pictures of Bella and Paul and a few of Bella only; candid shots that she'd never known were taken, until now.

An empty picture frame hung above the fire place and she wondered why he would hang an empty frame.

When he led her to the dining room, she took in the candles that adorned the table and the petals that were scattered down the length of it.

He guided her into a chair and disappeared into the kitchen only to return with two plates full of food.

"Did you make this?" She asked inhaling the wonderful scent of the lasagna

"I remember you saying it was one of your favorites so I thought I'd make it for you."

Bella smiled and leaned across the table to kiss him.

The dinner was a quiet and romantic affair and the food was far better than Bella had expected it to be, almost better than her own.

"I have another surprise." Paul said as he cleared away their dinner plates

"Another one?" She asked

When he returned with the muffins, Bella's grin got even bigger and she wondered to herself what she had done to deserve such a wonderful man.

"Chocolate chip muffins are my favorite."

"I know." He smiled watching her devour the muffin

"What's with the grin?" Bella asked

"Huh?"

"You've been grinning like the chestier cat all night."

"I have?" He asked, grin growing impossibly wider

Bella rolled her eyes and smiled.

With all the worry over the vampire scents lately, Paul's smile and his playful side had been rare occurrences; so Bella really didn't mind that he was obviously up to something, he was happy and that was all that mattered.

"Alright, so I'm going to need to blindfold you for this part." Paul said after they'd had their fill of muffins

"Blindfold? I don't know Paul, I'm clumsy enough when I can see."

"Do you trust me?" He asked pulling her from her chair and into his arms

"Of course I do." She sighed

Paul knew he'd won, so he pulled the blindfold from his back pocket.

"Just let me guide you."

Bella nodded her head and took a deep breath as the blindfold was tied.

He grabbed her hands and began walking backwards.

"Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see."

She didn't have to be able to see him to know that he was smirking.

After a few minutes, they came to a stop and the blindfold was removed.

* * *

"Oh my gosh!" Bella gasped

The tub was filled with water and petals floated along the surface; candles lined the edge and gave off a calming lavender scent.

"Go ahead and get undressed, I'll be right back."

"Wait, this is for both of us?"

"Mmhmm." He replied, kissing her softly before leaving Bella to get undressed

Though they'd spent plenty of time making out like a couple of horny teenagers and even copping a feel occasionally; they'd never seen each other completely naked and it made Bella more than a little nervous.

Unbeknownst to Bella, Paul had already returned to the bathroom and was now watching her as she undressed. He was pretty sure he'd done nothing to deserve this beautiful woman standing before him, but he thanked God and whoever else was responsible for gifting him with Bella.

Once all of her clothes were removed, Bella wrapped herself in a towel and moved to sit on the edge of the tub to wait for Paul's return. She was surprised when she turned around to find that not only was he already there, but he was only inches from her and down on one knee.

"What are you doing on the floor?" She asked wrinkling her forehead

"From the very beginning I despised imprinting; I'd thought it was stupid and just one more thing that was being forced upon those of us unlucky enough to carry the wolf gene. And then when I imprinted on you ….. I thought Taha Aki and the Great Spirits were crazy and had no idea what they were doing; that they had really messed this one up. But then you shoved that cheesecake in my face and I knew that maybe they had gotten it right after all. Here was this girl who wasn't afraid to yell at me, to tell me I was an asshole and the world's biggest jerk; here was a girl who could care less that I sprouted four legs and a tail." He took a deep breath and looked up at Bella, giving a tiny smile before continuing

And Bella just sat there staring at him with wide eyes and trembling limbs.

"The more time we spent together the more I begin to see that you were perfect for me. You let me think I'm the boss even though we both know you are; you have no problem putting me in my place and telling me when I'm wrong. You love me far more than I ever thought anyone could and probably much more than I deserve. I'm still not sure I'm the right guy for you and I sometimes think that you deserve so much better but I love you, and in the end I think that's all that matters. I love you little swan and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

He opened the little black box that he'd been holding and there sat the most beautiful ring Bella had ever seen.

She was speechless; this wasn't at all what she'd been expecting.

"Uh …. Bella?" Paul asked moving closer to her and taking her hand in his

Tears welled in her eyes and unable to find her voice, she nodded her head.

"Is that a yes?" He asked removing the ring from the box

She nodded her head again.

Paul slipped the ring onto her finger and Bella looked back and forth between him and the ring.

"It was my grandmothers." He explained

"It's beautiful." She whispered

And then it seemed that the moment caught up with her and she squealed.

"OH MY GOD!"

She grabbed for Paul pulling him into a kiss.

The two of them were so lost in the kiss that they forgot Bella was sitting on the edge of the tub and when Paul leaned in to get closer to her, it threw her off balance and she fell into the tub pulling Paul with her. Momentarily shocked, they pulled apart and stared at each other.

"I'm engaged." Bella whispered

"You're going to be my wife." Paul whispered back with a smile and leaned in for another kiss

Soon the towels were discarded and they rearranged themselves so that Paul's back rested against the back of the tub and Bella was nestled between his legs with her back pressed against his chest.

"I love you wolf boy." Bella sighed

"And I love you, little swan."

The two of them stayed in the water long after it had gone cold; content to remain where they were. And happy in the knowledge that they were no longer just boyfriend and girlfriend; imprinter and imprintee ….

They were now the future Mr. and Mrs. Meraz.

* * *

**A/N: I hadn't originally planned for this to take place this soon but my muse decided it was the perfect time for it to happen. Hope you guys liked this chapter and I'm really looking forward to reading what you think about it. There will also be a link to a pic of the ring on my profile in case anyone is interested. **


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Many a thanks to my reviewers and readers.**

Bella awoke the next morning to find herself tangled up in the bed sheets and draped across Paul.

She took a few minutes to look at him because it wasn't often she got to see him look so peaceful. Staring down at him, her mind flashed back to last night and she smiled at how sweet it had all been. She looked down at the hand that was resting on his chest and smiled at the sight of the ring that adorned her finger; she was engaged and she could hardly believe it.

Bella had spent most of her life telling herself that she would never get married; watching the way her parents' marriage had fallen apart and how much it had destroyed Charlie she told herself that that would never be her. She would never be her mother, a woman who was as flaky as anyone person could possibly be, and she would never be like her father who had given his all to the person he loved only to have his entire world ripped apart. Even when she had been with Edward and thought herself in love she couldn't stomach the idea of being married; sure she was willing to be turned and spend eternity with him so long as she didn't have to marry him.

The only thing she'd ever known about marriage was how destructive and dysfunctional it could be and even watching the mated pairs still hadn't been enough to convince her that marriage wasn't some sort of nightmare or a place that love went to die.

But lying here with Paul, with his grandmothers ring on her finger she couldn't be happier. Suddenly marriage didn't sound so bad. She was already tied to Paul in ways that no one outside of the pack and imprints would ever understand …. But to have this tangible evidence of their love and commitment to one another, she didn't know how to describe the way it made her feel. She realized that because of the imprint there was no real need for Paul to marry her; in the eyes of the pack and elders, the imprint was basically marriage without the paperwork and ring. The fact that he didn't have to marry her but still wanted to made her love him all the more. She realized that this was how it was supposed to be; you got married because you wanted to, because you loved that person so much the thought of not being married to them … not waking up next to them every day, was an absolute nightmare.

Paul awoke to find Bella sprawled on top of him, smiling down at him and looking happier than he had ever seen her look.

"Hey there." He whispered running his thumb along her jaw line and across her lip

Bella's smile grew wider and she leaned down to kiss him.

"I could get used to waking up like this." He sighed, wrapping his arms around her back and squeezing gently

"Me too."

"So how does it feel to be engaged?"

"Amazing!"

"When do you want to tell everyone?"

"Well I should tell my Dad first and then Mom."

"Your Dad probably already knows but go ahead and call him." He said grabbing his phone from the nightstand and handing it to her

"My Dad knew about this?" She asked

"Mmhmm; had to ask him for permission to marry his little girl."

"You're amazing." She sighed happily

Paul just smiled at her and shrugged.

* * *

"_Hey Paul."_

"_Actually it's Bella, Dad."_

"_Oh, Morning Bells."_

"_So…. Umm ….. I said yes."_

"_You said yes?"_

"_Yea, I'm getting married."_

"_Congratulations Bells. I'm happy for you; I couldn't have asked for a better man for my daughter."_

"_Thanks Daddy."_

They talked a bit more and then Charlie said he go pick up Harry so they could go fishing.

* * *

After Charlie hung up with Bella, he sat there at the kitchen table with his head in his hands. His little girl wasn't a little girl anymore and that was a hard pill to swallow. Hearing her call him 'Daddy' made him flashback to those years before the divorce when she'd been 'Daddy's little girl' and she'd thought he'd hung the moon and stars. He missed those days of having her crawl into his lap as he watched a game and beg him to read her a story. He'd missed out on so much of his daughter's life and he'd always wish he'd fought harder for her to stay with him; but she was here now and he'd gotten to witness some of the most important milestones in her life. He'd been there for her first heartbreak and wanted to rip that boy to pieces for hurting his daughter; he'd watched as she climbed out of the abyss the Cullen's had thrown her into when they left without so much as a goodbye. He'd watched as she fell in love with a man he hadn't been so sure about at first but had turned out to be a good man; he'd gotten to witness his little girl finding a man who loved her to the very depths of his soul and was willing to do anything and everything it took to make her happy.

With a sigh and a smile he gathered up his things and headed to Harry's with the thought that one day he might have a grandson to join him on these fishing trips.

* * *

"_Hello?"_

"_Hi Mom."_

"_Bella? Is everything ok?"_

"_Everything is perfect; I'm getting married!"_

"_Married? What? To who?"_

"_Yea, Paul proposed."_

"_Paul? Is that the boy I met at your graduation?"_

"_Yes."_

"_And you guys are engaged already? Don't you think it's a little soon?"_

"_Not at all."_

"_So you're happy?"_

"_Unbelievably so."_

"_Well if you're happy then I'm happy."_

"_Thanks Mom."_

"_I love you baby."_

"_Love you too Mom."_

* * *

After hanging up with her mother she settled back into Paul's embrace.

"So your Mom's cool with it?" Paul asked

"She thinks it's a little too soon but other than that I think she's ok with it."

"Good. So when do you want to tell the pack?"

"Don't you have patrol tonight?"

"Yea."

"Then we should probably tell them before then." She sighed

"Maybe we can have them all over for lunch?"

"Do you have enough food?"

"Uh…. Probably not."

"Well I guess we better head to the store then. And feed you." She said when she heard his stomach growl


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Thank you to all my readers and reviewers, you guys are awesome! **

**Little Claire makes an appearance in this chapter, she's only 4 so her speech isn't 100% perfect and she sometimes has trouble with her "r's". **

"So I'm thinking hamburgers and hot dogs will be fine." Bella said as they entered the grocery store

"You want to go ahead and get something to cook for dinner?"

"I was thinking we could just order pizza."

"Works for me." He shrugged

They quickly gathered the necessary items and a few extra things upon Paul's insistence.

"I don't know how you eat so much junk food and still manage to look so good." Bella said as they reached the register

"You think I look good?" He grinned

"I've really got to stop boosting your ego." She laughed

Paul chuckled and helped Bella to unload the rest of the items.

"That's a beautiful ring." The cashier commented as Bella handed her the money

"Thank you." Bella smiled and looked at Paul to see him smiling at her

"Ah….. young love." The cashier chuckled

Bella blushed, Paul laughed and the cashier just smiled remembering the days when she'd been young and in love.

"Have a good day and good luck to you two."

"Thank you." Paul grinned, wrapping an arm around Bella and leading her out to the car

Once they returned to the house, Bella headed for the kitchen to get the food prepped and Paul headed outside to fire up the grill.

* * *

The pack arrived just as Paul was bringing in the food and they wasted no time in fixing their plates and taking their seats.

"Where's Quil?" Bella asked when she noticed that he wasn't there

"Sorry I'm late guys." Quil shouted as he slammed the door shut

"You're lucky we made so much extra food." Bella said as she got up and motioned for him to follow her into the kitchen

"Thanks Bella. And uh, I hope you don't mind but I brought Claire with me. It's just… I don't get to see her much you know and the whole imprint thing…." He said motioning to the little girl who was wrapped around his leg

"It's no problem Quil. I know it must suck not getting to spend much time with her." Bella shrugged as she started fixing him a plate

"Yea." He sighed

After handing Quil his plate, she stooped down to Claire's level.

"Hi there, I don't know if you remember me but my name is Bella. Are you hungry?" Bella asked her

Claire nodded her head but did not loosen her grip on Quil.

"Well how about we let Quil sit down and eat and you and I can find you something to eat?" Bella asked sticking her hand out for Claire to grab

"I go with Belly?" Claire asked looking up at Quil

"Yea, you can go with 'Belly'." He chuckled

The little girl quickly released her hold on Quil and dashed into Bella's arms.

Bella giggled and picked the girl up, carrying her over to where all the food was so she could pick out what she wanted.

"What's your favorite food?" Bella asked her

"Cookies." She replied with a wide grin

"Well it just so happens I've made a bunch of chocolate chip cookies and I couldn't possibly eat them all,"

"I help you!" Claire squealed, nodding her head enthusiastically

"Great! But how about we have a hot dog first?"

"I no like hot dogs!" She frowned

"Hamburger?" Bella asked

Claire nodded.

"What do you like on your hamburger?"

"Cheese and pickles."

"Yummy; what about ketchup or mustard?"

Claire made a face at that and shook her head no.

In no time at all, Bella had assembled the burger to Claire's liking and they were now staring at the bags of chips.

"Cheetos!" Claire squealed when she spotted the bright orange bag

With her food fixed and her cup filled with juice, Claire and Bella joined everyone else in the living room.

"Come here Claire." Quil said when they entered the living room

Claire shook her head no, "I wanna sit with Belly."

"She can sit with me; go ahead and finish your food." Bella said

"Are you sure?" Quil asked

"Yep."

Bella and Claire settled on the floor in front of the coffee table; and in between bites of hamburger and Cheetos, the little girl told Bella all about how she'd spent the morning playing Princess and Barbie's with Quil.

The guys of course found it hilarious and teased Quil mercilessly for it. Kim and Emily thought the little girl was adorable and couldn't wait to have little girls of their own.

"So what did you guys want to tell us?" Jared asked

"I asked Bella to marry me." Paul answered

"And I said yes." Bella grinned

"OH MY GOSH!" Kim squealed

Amidst Kim's squealing, congratulations were given and Emily examined Bella's ring.

"It's a beautiful ring." Emily smiled

"Thank you."

Kim eventually stopped her squealing and joined in Bella and Emily's discussion, insisting that they start planning as soon as possible and that she be one of the bridesmaids.

As Bella was trying to calm Kim down and tell her that there was no rush, she felt a tugging on her sleeve.

She turned to Claire, who was working her way into Bella's lap.

"What's up munchkin?"

"I be a bridemaid too?"

"You're too young to be a bridesmaid but I do have a very special job for you."

"You do?" She asked, her eyes growing wide with excitement

"Mmhmm….. You get to be the flower girl."

"Flower girl?"

"Yea; you get to wear a really pretty dress and throw flowers down the aisle."

"Quilly, Quilly!" Claire shouted as she climbed from Bella's lap and crawled into his

"Yes?"

"Belly say I get to be flower girl."

"Bella said you get to be a flower girl?"

"Uh huh…. I get a pwetty dwess too; like a pwincess."

"You get to wear a pretty dress, like a princess? That's really cool Claire-Bear."

Claire nodded her head

After a few hours Claire had fallen asleep and the rest of the pack had gone home, so the only people left in the house were: Paul, Bella, Quil and Claire.

"Uh, Bella?" Quil asked following Bella into the kitchen

"Yea?"

"Umm, I've got patrol with Paul and Claire's asleep so uh, would you mind if she stayed here just until I get done with patrol?"

"I wouldn't mind at all."

"Are you sure?" Quil asked

"Yep. You boys go patrol, Claire will stay here with me and if she wakes up before you get back I'll keep her entertained."

"Thanks, Bella." He sighed giving her hug before running into the back yard to phase

"Thanks for that." Paul said coming into the kitchen

"For what?"

"Being so nice to Claire and watching her while Quil patrols; we sometimes forget that she's his imprint and not just some little girl tagging along. And it's kind of awkward sometimes because we have to watch what we say and do when she's around."

"It's no problem. She's absolutely adorable and it's so cute how she's got Quil wrapped around her finger. Have the elders figured out why he imprinted on someone so young?" Bella asked wrapping her arms around Paul

"No. But I say we should've expected something like this to happen. I mean we're the biggest pack in Quileute history, almost all of us have imprinted and I'm the first one to imprint on a non-native so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that Quil imprinted on a four year old."

"Well when you put it like that … it makes perfect sense."

"Mmhmm. I better get going; Love you."

"Love you too; you two be careful out there and let Quil know he's welcome to stay for dinner."

"Alright. See you in a few hours."

With one last kiss, the two parted and Paul left for his patrol.

* * *

When Paul and Quil returned from patrol they were met by the sounds of giggles emitting from the house.

"What are they up to?" Paul asked as he pulled on his cutoffs

"Who knows ….. Claire's real good at talking people into things so…" Quil shrugged

"Bella?" Paul called out as they entered the house

There was another giggle and then Bella called out, "In the kitchen."

Bella and Claire were sitting on the kitchen floor in a fit of giggles. There was a bowl on Claire's head with some kind of batter dripping from it, there was chocolate splattered all over the kitchen and Bella's face; there was flour in her hair and Paul was pretty sure he saw sprinkles too.

"What have you two been doing?" Paul laughed

"Claire wanted to make some brownies for her 'Quilly'." Bella giggled

"Uh-huh…. So where are the brownies?" Paul asked

Bella and Claire looked at each other and were soon overtaken with giggles.

Claire stood up, with the bowl still on her head, and made her way to Quil trying not to slip on the mess.

"I sorry Quilly …. We make a mess and you no get brownies." She pouted

"That's alright Claire-Bear. Maybe you and Bella can try again some other time." He chuckled

"Hey Paul, will you go get my camera please."

Paul quickly wondered off to find the camera.

"So did you two have a good time while we were gone?" Quil asked

Claire nodded her head and began to tell Quil what they'd done while he was gone,

"We played dress-up and Belly let me make her hair pwetty. And she let me make brownies but we make BIG mess so no brownies; but Belly not get mad at me."

"Sounds like you two had lots of fun; wish I would've been here for it."

"It's ok Quilly. Belly said you play with us next time."

"Do you want to take a picture with me Claire?" Bella asked when Paul returned with her camera

Claire squealed and dashed back to Bella, just barely managing to avoid the chocolate on the floor.

Paul snapped a couple of pictures and once they'd been approved by both Bella and Claire, the two girls headed upstairs to get cleaned up while the boys cleaned up the kitchen for them.

* * *

"So how did Claire's parents take the whole wolf/imprint thing?" Paul asked

"Well at first they were freaked out and thought I was some kind of monster, perving on their four year old. But that was the elders fault because they didn't explain that I would only be what Claire needed me to be."

"So they eventually calmed down?"

"Yea, once I explained that right now Claire needed me as a big brother and protector so that's what I was. And I told them that someday she might come to need/see me as something more so there wouldn't be any surprises down the road."

"So I'm guessing their cool with seeing as how Claire's with you today."

"They're still a little skeptical but they see how attached Claire's become to me and once she threw a tantrum and demanded that they not take her Quilly away, they came up with a schedule for when I could see her. But they know what a strain it puts on our bond to have to be so far away so they're thinking about moving closer."

"That's cool man. I'm glad they're being so cool about this."

"Me too. And I'm really glad she likes Bella so much 'cause she doesn't really like Kim and she barely likes Emily."

"I gotta tell you man, seeing Bella with Claire ….. Makes me wonder what it would be like to have a kid of our own."

Quil laughed and punched him in the shoulder, "Man imprinting sure has turned you into a softy."

Paul punched him back, "And you're wrapped around the finger of a four year old…."

"Alright who wants pizza?" Bella asked as she entered the kitchen

"I DO!" Claire shouted

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading, and as always reviews are welcomed and appreciated. Next chapter: Jacob's reaction to the engagement (It's a rough draft right now, so if there's something you guys would like me to include feel free to let me know). **


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: I apologize for this chapter being so short, but once you read it maybe you'll understand why it is.**

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_So what did you guys want to tell us?" Jared asked_

"_I asked Bella to marry me." Paul answered_

"_And I said yes." Bella grinned_

Jacob knew that he should be happy that Bella was happy, but he couldn't bring himself to feel that way. The fact that someone other than himself had imprinted on Bella was still a difficult thing to accept and though he'd tried his hardest to come to grips with it and be happy for Paul and Bella, he struggled with the fact that Bella would never be his. He'd loved Bella with all he had and in the end it had counted for nothing.

Whoever was in charge of the whole imprint thing had to have been screwed over themselves and was bitter and determined that other people suffer just as they had; look at Sam and Emily for instance. Sam had been with Leah, Emily's cousin, before the imprint and the pain and drama that had stemmed from that was still festering like an open wound for some people ….. mainly Leah, who had no knowledge of the wolves or imprinting so she'd only been able to assume her cousin was a backstabbing bitch and Sam was nothing short of scum. Then he had accidentally scarred Emily for life and that had wreaked havoc on their bond and Sam had tortured himself over his actions. And of course Quil imprinting on a four year old just had to be someone's idea of a sick joke.

Seeing the smile on Bella's face when she'd announced her engagement, it almost tore Jacob in two. That smile should've been directed at him; that should've been his ring on her finger and his hand in hers … and if it wasn't for imprinting he told himself that it would've been him.

He tried to offer them congratulations but he just couldn't force the words past his lips; couldn't bring himself to congratulate the man who had stolen Bella from him. So he slipped into the background and when no one was paying attention, he slipped out the door and headed for the woods.

Jacob spent hours running through the forest, following a vampire scent whenever he would catch one and not even thinking to send up a howl for help in tracking it. It had become difficult to be phased with the other wolves; Sam, Paul, Quil and Jared were all imprinted and their thoughts constantly circled back to their imprint ….. and Seth, well he thought turning into a giant wolf was the coolest thing ever. There was no one else to share in his pain and the other wolves were long past dealing with his attitude, so it was easier to patrol solo and phase only when he knew no one else was.

He missed Bella and those days they spent in his garage, talking about anything and everything …. And sometimes nothing at all; he missed the laughs and the warm sodas and saving Bella from tripping over her own feet. He knew that the only one standing in the way of their friendship was him, but he didn't know how to just be her friend. Before it had been easier to just be her friend because he had the hope that someday he might be more; that someday Bella might see him the same way he saw her. But imprinting had destroyed that hope.

Deep down Jacob knew that imprint or not, Bella would never have viewed him as more than a best friend or brother but that didn't stop it from hurting; didn't stop him from wishing he'd never phased. Phasing had brought him nothing but trouble and heartache and as soon as this mysterious vampire was taken care of, he'd find a way to stop phasing.

* * *

**A/N: Ok ... so you guys probably hate me for this don't you? **


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers, readers, and those who have Favorited and or added this story to their alerts.  
**

**Lets just pretend that Bella has already informed Paul about what really happened in Phoenix (because in my head she did; I just forgot to include that in one of the previous chapters). And now onto the story...**

* * *

Bella and Paul spent most of Sunday wrapped up in blankets, cuddling and doing absolutely nothing.

"Hey Paul," Bella called out as she entered the living room carrying a plate full of sandwiches

"Yea?"

"What's with the empty picture frame?" She asked, handing him the plate and gesturing to the space above the fireplace

"It's for our wedding picture."

"So who's going to be your best man?" Bella asked, curling up beside him and tucking herself under his arm

"Jared; I've known him the longest and he's been there through some rough times so it makes sense to pick him. Who are you picking for your maid of honor?"

"I was thinking Angela."

"Kim will probably pout about that." He smiled

"Oh well." She shrugged

They settled back into a relaxed silence for a few moments until Bella gasped and jumped up.

"What's wrong?" Paul asked, eyes and ears searching for any type of danger

"I haven't called Angela!"

Paul plopped back onto the sofa and stared at her for a minute,

"That's it?"

"Uh, yeah." She said sheepishly, realizing she'd probably worried him

It was quiet, save for the soft sounds of their breathing, as they stared at each other for a few moments and then a grin spread across Paul's face before he erupted into that boisterous laugh that Bella loved so much.

"Go call Angela, you silly little swan." He said once the laughter had died down

Bella giggled and gave one last smile before she headed upstairs to call Angela.

* * *

"_Hello?"_

"_HI, Ange."_

"_Bella! How are you?"_

"_Good ….. great actually."_

"_And how are things with Paul?"_

"_That's actually what I'm calling about; he asked me to marry him."_

"_And you said 'yes' right?"_

"_Of course I said yes."_

Bella's response was followed by an unexpected squeal from Angela.

"_I'm so happy for you Bella!"_

"_Thank you Ange. I was wondering if you could do me a favor."_

"_Sure. What is it?"_

"_Be my maid of honor?"_

"_You want me to be your maid of honor?"_

"_Of course I do."_

"_I'd love to! Have you guys set a date yet?"_

"_No; we've only been engaged for like 3 days."_

"_Well let me know when I should come up to go dress shopping with you."_

"_You're going to go dress shopping with me?"_

"_As best friend and maid of honor it is part of my duties."_

"_But what about school?"_

"_Well there's spring break and of course there's summer."_

"_You're the best Ange. Are you coming home for Christmas?"_

"_Yea; Ben and I will actually be headed out tomorrow morning."_

"_How long will you be able to stay?"_

"_I don't have to be back until the 10__th__."_

"_Awesome! We definitely have to hang out."_

"_Of course. Well, I've got to go help Ben finish packing."_

"_Ok. I'll talk to you later."_

"_Bye."_

* * *

Bella felt like she was floating on a little cloud of happy right now.

Paul watched as she came bouncing down the stairs and couldn't help but smile.

"What are you smiling about?" Bella asked coming to stand in front him

Paul pulled her down onto his lap and ran his thumb along her bottom lip.

"I have no idea how I got so lucky."

"Well someone has to keep you in line."

"So the Great Spirits sent a little swan to tame the big bad wolf?"

"Well if you ask me, this big wolf ain't so bad."

"Is that so?" He asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes

"Mmhmm." She grinned

Paul's fingers trailed down her sides, stopping at her hips then moving around to the small of her back and traveling up her spine.

All the while his fingers danced along her body, Bella tried to stifle her giggles and Paul watched her face intently, knowing she would break as soon as his fingers hit her most ticklish spot.

His fingers came to rest on her shoulders, tracing the line of collar bone before moving back to her neck.

Bella's giggles had become more audible by now and as Paul's fingers danced along the back of her neck she started to squirm.

Paul's fingers continued to tease her, dancing over her most sensitive spots and turning her giggles into outright laughter.

Eventually his teasing touch became too much and Bella began twisting and turning trying to escape his fingers. Fearing she might fall if she kept at it, Paul wrapped an arm around her back.

"Ok …. Ok!" She cried

"So what do you think now?" He asked her

"You're awful; absolutely terrible!" She gasped, trying to catch her breath

Paul laughed and wrapped both arms around her, pulling her closer.

Suddenly the laughter stopped and Bella's breath hitched when she noticed the intensity in Paul's gaze.

As Paul leaned in to kiss Bella, her eyes drifted shut and he paused in his movements to slide a thumb across her bottom lip.

"Open your eyes." He whispered

Bella's eyes slowly slid open and locked with Paul's.

When their lips finally met, Bella was glad that she was sitting because had she been standing, her knees would've surely buckled and she would've had to rely on Paul's strength to keep her standing.

Eventually the lack of air became an issue and they were forced to separate.

"That was," Bella started, but before she could finish Paul had swooped in and captured her lips again

There was all the passion and desire that any two people could possibly pour into a kiss and Bella still craved more; she wanted to be buried under the covers, Paul wrapped around her and inside of her. She wanted his fingers mapping out her body; his tongue trailing across her skin, leaving a trail of warmth and whispering promises of more.

Just as she opened her mouth to tell him what she wanted, a howl ripped through the night air and Paul had to go.

"Ugh!" Bella groaned, rolling off of Paul and flopping onto the couch with a frustrated sigh

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Paul sighed, leaning over Bella to give her one last heated kiss

As moved to leave, Bella pulled him in for more one kiss and groaned as they parted,

"I'll be so glad when this vampire business is over with."

"You and me both." Paul grumbled as he raced out into the night

* * *

Four hours later, Paul returned to the house in a panic.

"Bella!" He shouted as he raced through the house searching for her

Bella, who had long since gone to bed, woke at the sound of Paul's shouting. She managed to untangle herself from the covers just as Paul came bursting into the bedroom and tackled her back onto the bed.

His hands ran feverishly across her body as if checking for something.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she took notice of the slightly wild and panicked look in his eyes

"You're ok." He breathed, maneuvering them until Bella was basically trapped between the bed and him

"Paul, what's going on?"

"We caught more than just a scent this time."

"Huh?"

"Embry and Jake were on patrol when they came across two fresh scents. At first they followed the scent by themselves but then the scent got stronger and they caught sight of one, that's when they sent out the howl."

"Is everyone ok?" Bella asked starting to panic

"We're fine; we managed to kill them but not before we got some information out of them. They were here on a mission."

"Mission?"

"Mmhmm….. They were sent to find something and well, the guys think it's you."

"They think these vamps were sent to find me?" She asked wiggling in his grasp in an attempt to sit up but Paul wouldn't budge

"The vamps couldn't give us a name, just that the one who had sent them had extremely red hair and was out for revenge for the loss of her mate."

"Red hair?" Bella whispered

"Yea. They also said the person they were sent to find was a member of the Cullen family."

"Did they say if it was a male or female they were after?"

"They said the red headed lady had given the description for a dark haired female." Paul felt Bella tense up when he said this

"Bella?"

"The guys were right." She whispered.

"What?"

"The dark haired girl they were after ….. it's me."

Paul's grip tightened and Bella made no move to escape it this time; she needed him to hold her like this right now and she knew that his tightening grip was his way of ensuring that she was still with him and that nothing would get to her.

"What? It can't be you; you're not a member of the Cullen family."

"But I was."

"It still doesn't mean it was you they were after."

"Paul, you remember when I told you about what really happened in Phoenix?"

"Yea."

"You remember me telling you that the Cullen's killed the guy who was after me?"

"Yes."

"Well he had a mate; a mate with extremely red hair."

"But why would she come after you! Why not go after one of the Cullen's?"

"A mate for a mate I guess."

"But you're not that leech's mate!" He growled

"We know that, but she doesn't."

"I won't let her get to you Bella."

"I know you won't; but what about Dad?"

"We'll keep an eye on him and talk to Billy about keeping him in La Push for as long as possible."

"And what about the pack? I don't want any of you getting hurt, especially you."

"We're strong Bella; we're fully capable of killing this leech lady."

"I know you're strong and I know you're capable, but what if she sends more vampires?"

"Then we'll take them out too. "

"I can't lose you Paul." She cried

"And you won't. We've got a wedding to plan remember? And I'm not going to let some crazy leech mess that up. We're going to start doing more patrols and start patrolling in bigger groups; we'll catch her in no time and then you and I can get married and make lots of babies." He whispered to her trying his best to ease her worry even though he was as panicked and worried as she was

"I love you wolf boy."

"I love you too, little swan."

For a while they just held each other and tried not to think of the danger they were in.

"Will you move in with me?" Paul asked, startling Bella who had somehow managed to doze off

"What?" She asked

"I want you to move in with me."

"When?"

"In the morning?"

"Huh?" She asked sitting up so that she could look at Paul

"I could get Quil and Embry, maybe Jake, to help you pack while I'm at work and then when I get off we can finish packing and start moving stuff in."

"What's brought this on?" Bella asked

"Well for one, if you lived here, you'd be in La Push all the time which would mean there would be at least one wolf close by at all times; plus I really want you here and I don't want to have to wait until we're married for me to be able to come home to you from work and patrol and wake up with you in my arms."

"Ok. We'll have to get up a little earlier than usual to head back to Dad's house, so I can cook him a big breakfast and break the news to him."

"You do know your Dad has been expecting you to move out for a while now."

"Yea, but its one thing to expect it; completely different thing when it actually happens." She explained

"True; let's go to sleep." He sighed

Bella made some noise, that Paul took to mean 'ok' and wiggled her way back under the covers and rolled so that her back was to Paul's chest, his arms were wrapped around her and their legs were tangled together.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading and as always reviews are appreciated and welcomed (they also make me really happy and motivate me to get chapters written and posted faster). Also I haven't decided whether or not I should include sex scenes in future chapters, so if that's something you would like to read then please let me know. **


	32. Chapter 32

**WARNING: This chapter will contain a lemon (sex scene) so if you don't like those, just skip that part.  
**

**For those of you who do like lemons, I hope you enjoy it.  
**

**A/N: There is a small time skip here, Bella has completely moved into Paul's house now.**

Even though Bella was living with Paul now, she felt like she saw him even less than when they weren't living together; if he wasn't at work, he was out on patrol or asleep. She understood the reasons and knew that it was all an effort to protect and take care of her, but she missed him. There was hardly a weekend that they got to spend with just the two of them, because along with increased patrols there were also increased pack meetings; and there was always at least one pack member stopping by the house to talk to Paul or to ask Bella something about vampires. She was growing frustrated and just hoped that all this vampire business wouldn't ruin their first Christmas together.

While Paul was busy with patrol and work, Bella spent as much time as she could with Angela and was constantly having to make excuses for why Paul couldn't join them or why he had to cancel when he'd already promised to hang out. If Angela thought anything of it, she said nothing and Bella was beyond thankful for that; it was hard enough keeping all the wolf business a secret.

Emily and Kim were also growing frustrated with the lack of time they got to spend with their men and so they spent the majority of their time with Bella and Angela. And poor Claire was missing her 'Quilly' as well and didn't understand why, even though she lived closer to him now, she didn't get to play with him anymore than she used to. Bella knew how hard it was on her, Emily and Kim so she knew it had to be absolutely awful for Claire who wasn't aware of Quil's wolf duties; so as often as she could, she spent time with Claire hoping it would offer her some comfort and it gave Bella chances to reassure her that Quil was still her 'Quilly-Bear'.

By the time Christmas Eve rolled around, all the boys were beyond exhausted and Sam decided they'd been vigilant enough and could afford a bit of a break. Paul was the first to hightail it out of Sam and Emily's house, with a warning that no one was to disturb him and Bella unless it was an emergency.

**++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++LEMON AHEAD+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++**

"Bella!" Paul shouted as he stormed into the house, discarding his shoes and cut-offs before the front door had even banged shut

At his shout, Bella came racing down the stairs but didn't even get a chance to speak because Paul had thrown her over his shoulder and raced up the stairs to their bedroom.

Paul wasted no time in ridding Bella of her clothes and only took a few seconds to admire the beauty that was his little swan, before he was on top of her and pressing his lips to hers.

Bella lost herself in the feel of his lips and his hands; his body glistening with the beginnings of sweat, sliding atop hers and creating such delicious friction that Bella didn't know whether to scream or cry or beg for more.

His fingers slid along her stomach, trailing slowly around her belly button before continuing their journey south; Bella arched into his touch, crying out when his fingers finally entered her and bucking up as they left her body. She whined and writhed, searching for those skilled fingers that had only ever teased her and whispered promises of things to come.

Paul watched Bella intently, his pupils blown wide with lust and everything in his body telling him to take what was rightfully his; to plunge forward and ravage his little swan, leave no doubt in her mind of who she belonged to.

"Mine." He growled as he leaned over her and nipped at the space where neck and shoulder met

She'd heard him growl before but never like this; this was animalistic and a stark reminder that this wasn't just a mere human that lay above her. This was a human with the spirit of both wolf and man, both fierce and forces to be reckoned with in their own rights, but together a lethal combination. And right now both wolf and man demanded that this woman be taken; the wolf refused to be denied the pleasure of his mate's body any longer and Paul was more than happy to oblige.

He wanted to take the time to please her; bring her to the edge of orgasm and pull back, teasing her and heightening her pleasure so that when she did come it would be the most explosive orgasm she might ever have but there was no time for that now. They had been apart far too much lately; there had been too many interrupted moments and always at that moment when Paul would be seeking Bella's permission to go further than they ever had before. So there would be no soft and slow this time; it would be fast and teeter on the edge of brutal.

Paul managed just enough restraint and lucidity to make sure Bella was properly stretched and wet before just plunging in; he had been above average before phasing, but now he was positively monstrous and Bella's eyes went wide wondering how on earth that was supposed fit.

She gasped as he pressed against her and whined as he pushed into her. She knew it was supposed to hurt but not like this; and she felt so incredibly full that she was sure she'd still be feeling him long after the sex was over.

While Bella was attempting to adjust to him, Paul was panting and fighting his hardest to be still. This definitely wasn't his first time, but just having his member buried inside Bella….. encased in her warm, wet folds was enough to make him come; and it was only thanks to his experience and knowledge of how to stave off an orgasm, that he didn't right that second.

After a few excruciating moments, on both their parts, Bella gave an experimental buck of her hips and though it was most certainly uncomfortable, it didn't hurt.

"Can I please move?" Paul all but begged

Bella couldn't seem to find her voice, so she let her hips do the talking.

When he felt her hips jerk a few more times, he took that as a go ahead and slowly pulled back until only the tip of his penis was still inside of her. Bella looked down between them and watched in wonder as that massive piece of manhood slid back into her and threw her head back into the pillows when it was fully inside of her again.

Paul only managed a few slow strokes before he was pounding into Bella like there was no tomorrow. Bella was surprised at how quickly she'd adjusted to his size and in no time at all she was meeting him thrust for thrust; she was sure she would beyond sore tomorrow, but for now she didn't care. She was finally having sex with the man she loved and hot damn was it fantastic!

Eventually Paul rolled so that Bella was on top and he was effortlessly lifting her until she got the hang of it and began to ride him like she'd been doing it for years. Come tomorrow there would be bruises where he had gripped her hips and had it not been for his extraordinary healing abilities, he would have been littered with them too.

There was so much pleasure, and just that hint of pain when he thrust too hard, that Bella couldn't control the screams and moans that flew past her lips when they came together at just the right angle. A constant stream of growls slid past Paul's lips as he watched his little swan through hooded eyes; he still couldn't believe this beautiful creature was his.

At some point the two of them became so desperate for release that Paul flipped them back to their original position and began pounding into Bella with a fierceness that the both of them would regret come morning.

Suddenly Bella's body arched off the bed and her walls clenched around Paul's penis, pulling forth a gasp of shock and a growled "Bella"

"PAUL!" She screamed and then entered into a litany of incoherent babble as her body shook from the aftershock of her orgasm

The feel of her clenched around him and the sound of his name on her lips was enough to send Paul over the edge and with one final thrust he was riding the waves of his own orgasm.

**++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++END OF LEMON+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++**

Bella grunted as Paul collapsed on top her and weakly shoved at his chest.

"Sorry." He gasped as he rolled off of her

The two of them lay there panting and shaking; riding out the last waves of pleasure.

When he finally managed to catch his breath and his limbs no longer felt like putty, he rolled to his side and pulled Bella to him.

He softly and gently kissed her, caressing her cheek and committing to memory the way she looked in the afterglow.

"You ok?" He asked

"Mmmm…."

"I'll take that as a yes." He chuckled

Bella grinned and nodded her head

"We should probably take a shower."

"Mmhmm…. Don't think I can move though." She laughed, that silly little sated grin still on her face

Paul laughed at her and rose from the bed to go prepare a bath for the two of them.

By the time he'd returned to the room, Bella was half asleep.

"Come on, sleepy head."

"Where we goin?" She asked

"Bath."

"Sleep sounds better." She groaned

"Come morning you'll be really glad you had this bath." He said as he lifted her from the bed and carried her into the bathroom

Paul placed Bella into the tub and then left her to soak while he went to change the sheets.

When he came back Bella looked up at him sleepily, a smile still on her face.

"That was amazing." She sighed as he slid in behind her

"Mmm, it was."

"Think we should do it again."

"Now?" He asked looking down at her

"Nah, lady parts are a lil sore. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Pretty sure you're gonna be sore tomorrow too."

"Phooey…." She pouted

"Don't worry little swan, we've got the rest of our lives."

"We do don't we?" She sighed happily

"Mmhmm…. Ready to wash-up and get out of here?" He asked reaching for their rags and soap

"Yea. I do have a question though."

"What is it?" He asked as he lathered the wash rags

"Not that wasn't some amazing sex, that I'm definitely looking forward to more of it, but uh next time can we try slow and gentle?"

"We can try whatever you want. Should've been slow and gentle this time, but the wolf in me was all about staking his claim and making sure you knew who you belonged to."

"Well I think the wolf in you must be an overachiever then."

"Why do you say that?" He asked

"When I talked to Kim and Emily about what to expect the first time we had sex, they said it would hurt and be uncomfortable and it would probably take a few times before it would actually feel good. And yea it hurt for a little bit, but then after that it was fucking awesome! Like 'I think I just melted into a pile of goo and I can't feel my legs' awesome."

"Well first times, especially with us because of our size, usually do hurt and it definitely should've hurt you more than it did considering how rough I was. But I've got a theory about that."

"You do? Well, what is it?"

"I think my little swan has a kinky side ….. And kinky swan likes it rough." He explained as he ran the soapy rag along her hip

"I think we should test that theory out…" She grinned give a small thrust as he slid the rag across her 'lady bits' as she'd called them

Paul laughed at her enthusiasm, "How about some sleep first."

"Sleep sounds good. What time do you have patrol tomorrow?"

"I don't. Sam's given us the week off."

Bella squealed and turned around in his lap, sending water splashing out onto the floor.

"An entire week? You know what that means?" She grinned

"What?" Paul asked

"We have an entire week to find out if your theory is right."

"Mmmm…. Sounds good to me. But right now I think you should rinse off and get out of this tub before I bend you over the side of it and take you again."

"I'm not opposed." And to show just how unopposed she was, she reached down and gripped Paul's penis

Paul gasped and jumped, "Yep, definitely time for you to get out."

He stood the both of them up and rinsed Bella off, then helped her out of the tub and shooed her out of the bathroom.

Paul followed her soon after and the two of them snuggled down under the covers.

"Love you wolf boy." Bella mumbled sleepily

"Love you too little swan." He sighed

* * *

**A/N: Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter (especially the lemon bit, because it is the first I've written). And if you happen to be thinking Bella is a little out of character in this chapter, well I'm pretty sure I warned you at the beginning of this story that Bella would be a little different then she was in the books (Also she just had amazing sex, so that would mostly explain her behavior in this particular chapter). As always thanks for reading. **


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers and readers for your continued support of this story and I'm really happy that you guys are liking it. Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter posted and I'm going to try and get the next chapter posted much faster. **

**By the way guys, this story does not have a beta so if you see any errors (whatever they may be) please feel free to point them out because no matter how many times I go over and re-read, I'm bound to miss something.  
**

**Also there is a poll on my profile relating to this story, so I encourage you guys to go vote on that. Well, on to the story now...**

* * *

Paul looked down at Bella, and couldn't help but laugh. Her hair was a mess and with every little snore, her nose would twitch; he was also pretty sure he could feel drool pooling on his chest.

"Bella." He whispered as he pushed the hair out of her face

A few nudges and a slight pinch to the hip, and Bella's eyes were sliding open.

"Mornin." She sighed as she stretched and squirmed

"You feelin ok?"

"Little sore, but I'm ok."

"You hungry?"

"Not really, but I'm guessing you are." She sighed

"Aren't I always?" He grinned

"Alright wolf boy lets go find some food." She groaned as she climbed from the bed

"You ok?"

"So not looking forward to those stairs…" She muttered

Paul frowned and eyed Bella critically.

"What?" She asked when she noticed his stare

"How bad does it hurt?"

"There's just a bit of soreness; kind of like an ache. But I'm fine." She reassured him

"You sure?" He asked following her into the bathroom where she was now brushing her teeth

She nodded her head, and smiled around her tooth brush.

As they made their way down stairs and Bella took in all the Christmas decorations she came to an abrupt stop.

"Paul, what day is today?"

"UH… the 25th I think."

"The 25th! Paul its Christmas! We completely forgot it was Christmas!" She shrieked and rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen

He followed slowly behind her trying to figure how they hadn't realized today was Christmas.

"There's so much to do! The hams should've gone in the oven at six, and I should've had everything else prepped by eight. I should've been working on the deserts by nine! OH, I'm so behind." She cried as she scrambled around the kitchen

"Do you want me to call Kim and Emily?"

"No, they'll be here later to help with last minute things."

Paul could see the beginnings of a panic attack and knew that if he didn't do something soon, Bella would have a complete melt down and Christmas would be ruined. He intercepted her as she made another dash for the pantry and wrapped his arms around her.

"Calm down, Bella; we'll just call everyone and tell them we're going to be eating a little bit later. You've got a list of everything that needs to be done right?"

Once Bella nodded her head, Paul continued

"Ok. We'll go through the list and whatever I can help you with, I will."

"Thank you." Bella murmured, stretching up for a kiss

A few hours later, with Paul's help, Bella had managed to get everything in order and they were set to eat around 3 o'clock, which was only an hour later than originally planned.

"Thank you for helping me." Bella said as her and Paul headed upstairs to get dressed

"I guess it's a good thing I know my way around a kitchen now, otherwise we might have had a disaster on our hands."

* * *

At 2:30, Kim and Emily showed up, followed by Claire and Quil a few minutes later.

"I know we weren't supposed to be here till 3 but she really wanted to see you." Quil explained

"Belly!" The little girl shouted as she tried to wiggle out of Quil's arms

"Hey there Claire-Bear." Bella smiled as she grabbed the little girl

"Look! I got you a present!" She said shoving a small box, with an oversized bow

"Oh, thank you! How about we put this under the tree with the rest of the presents?"

Claire squealed when she saw all the presents stuffed under the tree.

"Those are a lot of presents! Some for me?" She asked looking at Bella hopefully

"Of course; I've got some cookies in the kitchen that need to be decorated, do you want to help?"

"Yea, yea! And Quilly too?"

"Sure."

While Bella, Kim and Emily worked on setting the table, Claire roped Paul and Quil into helping her with the cookies.

After the table was set, the girls went back to the kitchen to see how the decorating was going.

"No! You're not doing it wight!" Claire shouted at Paul

"It's my cookie, I can decorate it whatever way I want." He answered

"No! Have to be pretty and that's not pretty!"

Bella peeked over Paul's shoulder and frowned at his cookie.

"She's right Paul, that's not pretty."

Paul huffed and Claire pouted.

"Alright Claire, how about I help you finish these up and we'll let Paul go find something else to do?"

"Ok."

Paul was more than happy to be relieved of cookie decorating duty and wondered off upstairs to dig out Bella's gifts that he'd kept hidden.

* * *

At 3 o'clock the pack, Charlie and Billy arrived and they all gathered around the table to begin the feast.

"But I wanna open presents." Claire whined when she realized she would have to wait that much longer to see what she'd gotten

Quil managed to convince her that it wouldn't be so bad to wait a little longer.

Bella looked around the table at all the smiling faces and couldn't help but think that this was where she was meant to be. Surrounded by the warmth of her fiancé and his brothers, who would now be hers, and laughter that filled the room and seemed to echo through the house; even Jacob was smiling, something Bella hadn't seen in a very long time.

After all the food had been devoured, they all crowded into the living room and the presents were distributed.

Claire ended up with a few more dolls to add to her ever growing collection, a tea set and a doll house that Charlie and Billy had constructed themselves. She thanked everyone for their gifts and then turned to Bella and Paul,

"You no get me present?" She asked

"Of course we got you a present, Claire-Bear; you just have to go outside to see it. But let's wait till everyone else has opened their presents, ok?"

Claire nodded her head excitedly and planted herself in Quil's lap to watch everyone else open their gifts.

Bella was surprised to receive a gift from Jacob and it gave her hope that maybe one day she would get her best friend back.

While everyone else was busy with their gifts, Jacob was busy watching Bella.

This wasn't the first time he'd seen Bella smile, but this was definitely the first time he'd seen her smile like this. She looked so happy and so at ease, something he hadn't really seen since they were kids. She looked so content in her place on Paul's lap, with his arms wrapped securely around her and though it pained him to see it; he could finally admit that maybe the Great Spirits knew what they were doing after all, because no matter how hard he'd tried, he'd never been able to make Bella this happy. For the first time, he allowed himself to look at the way Paul held Bella and the way his eyes tracked her when she moved from his lap; no matter how much Jacob loved Bella it was obvious that Paul loved her more. He was finally starting to see what everyone else had seen long ago, for all his faults, Paul loved Bella beyond reason and explanation and she was his entire world. And what kind of friend was he to begrudge Bella such devotion and love; he realized that in the end he'd only been punishing himself and hurting himself further by severing his friendship with Bella and keeping his distance from his pack brothers. He still wasn't too happy that he hadn't been the one to imprint on Bella, but he was starting to understand why that was and he would work harder to accept it.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter and always your reviews are appreciated. **


	34. Chapter 34

After all the presents had been opened, Claire bounced her way to Paul and Bella and asked if she could see her present now.

Charlie and Billy decided to head on home because they were both tired; plus they already knew what the present was so they didn't need to stick around to see it.

When they exited the back door, Claire squealed and took off running.

"You got her dogs?" Quil asked watching the little girl cuddle the puppies

"Actually only one of them is hers, the other one is mine." Bella explained

Bella made her way over to the little girl to explain that only one of the puppies were hers.

"This is the bestest pwesent ever!" The little girl squealed wrapping her arms around Bella

"Well one is mine and one is yours; but you get to pick which one you want."

Claire stared intently at both dogs and finally decided on the smaller of the two puppies.

While Claire and Bella played with their puppies, Quil and the rest of the guys pestered Paul about them.

* * *

"So, whose idea was this?" Embry asked

"It was all Bella. She came home one day saying she'd found the perfect gift for Claire and then a couple days later, I get back from patrol and see those two curled up on the couch with Bella. She said she'd only meant to get the one for Claire, but they were brothers and she didn't think it was right to separate them. So she convinced me to let her keep one, not that it was hard."

"Ok. But why did she think a dog would be a good idea for Claire, and what if Claire's parents don't want her to have one?" Quil asked

"Said something about, Claire having someone to protect her when us wolves weren't around and that since these dogs get pretty big it wouldn't freak Claire out too much when she finally saw us in our wolf forms; and Claire will have someone to play with and cuddle with when her 'Quilly' can't be there. And Bella already talked to Claire's parents about it; they thought it was sweet of Bella." Paul explained

"Can they sense the wolf in us?" Seth asked

"I've actually phased around them once before just to see how they would react and they were fine; ran circles around me and nipped at my heels."

"What breed are they?" Sam asked

"Alaskan Malamutes." Bella answered as her and Claire rejoined the group, dogs in tow

"Whatever they are, they're adorable." Kim said as she reached down to pet one

"So what are you going to name yours Claire-Bear?" Quil asked

"Chubby."

"Chubby? Ok." Quil shrugged

"What you gonna name yours Belly?" Claire asked looking up at Bella

"I think I'll name him, Kwoli."

Claire nodded approvingly and then yawned and stretched her arms up to Quil as a sign that she wanted to be picked up.

"Kwoli? Do you know what that means?" Sam asked Bella

"Mmhmm. It's the Quileute word for wolves."

"How did you know that?" Paul asked her

"Billy has been teaching me; I thought since I was going to marry you and be a part of the tribe I should know your native language. And I really want our kids to know it too, so I want to be able to help you teach it to them."

Paul couldn't explain how happy it made him to know that Bella was making an effort to learn the Quileute language.

The rest of the guys were surprised because only four of them (Sam, Paul, Quil and Jacob) knew enough Quileute to be able to have a full conversation. Emily didn't know any Quileute because she wasn't a Quileute and she hadn't bothered to learn it even when Sam had offered to teach it to her; she hadn't really thought it was necessary. And Kim knew next to nothing of the language because she just hadn't wanted to learn it; she thought it was too hard and most of the tribe spoke English now, so what was the point.

They all made their way back into the house, bringing the dogs with them, and talked for a little longer before everyone started to head home.

"I guess we should go ahead and clean-up huh?" Bella sighed, leaning into Paul as they waved goodbye to Seth and Quil

"Or we could just sleep and do it tomorrow?" Paul yawned

"Hmmm; Sounds good." She mumbled, her face pressed into his chest

Paul picked up Kwoli, who wasn't quite big enough to be able to make it up the stairs yet, and followed Bella up to their room.

Bella was so tired she couldn't even be bothered to put on pajamas; she simply discarded her clothes and fell into bed thinking that the blankets and Paul would be enough to keep her warm.

At the sight of Bella naked and sprawled out on the bed, Paul's member quickly sprang to life and he slipped into the bathroom to take care of it, knowing that Bella was too tired for anything.

It didn't take long for him to finish and after a quick clean-up he was crawling into bed with Bella, draping his body across hers but being careful not to place too much of his weight on her.

From his place on the floor, Kwoli whined and pulled at the covers. When he received no attention for his efforts he started to bark, which startled Bella and she nudged Paul.

"Wha?" He asked opening one eye to stare down at her

"Dog…bed." She answered, knowing that it was better to use small and short words when Paul was half asleep like this

Paul grumbled a bit and maneuvered until he could reach down and grab the puppy without having to sit up.

Kwoli gave a happy little yip and snuggled in beside Bella.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading and feel free to review. There will be a link on my profile for the pic of the puppies. **


	35. Chapter 35

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER DOES CONTAIN SEX.**

It was obvious right away who Kwoli's favorite was; he followed Bella around the house and if she happened to go up the stairs he would try his best to make his way up to her. But he usually failed and would bark and scratch at Paul until he got the message and carried him upstairs to Bella. Paul thought it was annoying, especially when Kwoli managed to wiggle his way in between him and Bella when they were in bed; Bella thought it was adorable how attached he was to her and would glare at Paul when he growled at Kwoli. If it wasn't for the fact that Bella still gave most of her attention to Paul, he would've been jealous of the dog.

* * *

It was two days after Christmas and Bella had gone to the store to pick up a few things. While she was gone, Paul decided to have a talk with Kwoli.

Paul picked him up off the floor and held him up so that they were face to face.

"Listen here buddy, I want to have sex with my girl tonight so I'm gonna need you to be a good puppy and leave us alone."

Kwoli cocked his head to the side and stared at Paul.

"I'll make you up a nice little bed right outside our door, ok? And if you're good tonight, I'll give you a nice juicy steak tomorrow."

Kwoli's ears perked up at the mention of the steak and he batted his paws at Paul's face.

"So we have a deal?" He asked

The dog gave a bark and placed his paw on Paul's nose.

Paul put him down in his lap and gave him a pat, "Good doggie."

He grinned and grabbed his phone from the table beside the couch.

* * *

"_I knew you would be calling soon."_

"_And how did you know that?"_

"_Because every time I leave to go to the store you always say you can't think of anything you want or that there isn't anything you want; but then you always ended up calling me and telling me what you want."_

"_Well this happens to be for your pup."_

"_Oh really? And what does Kwoli need?"_

"_Steak."_

"_Steak? Kwoli needs steak?"_

"_Mmhmm. We've struck up a deal."_

Paul could hear the sound of muffled giggles,

"_Are you laughing at me?"_

Bella stifled her giggles and composed herself to reply,

"_You struck up a deal with my dog? So does that mean you can speak dog now?"_

"_You can't see it, but I'm sticking my tongue out at you right now."_

Bella laughed and shook her head as she made her way to the steaks,

"_So what is the deal you two have struck?"_

"_It involves us and a bed."_

"_Hmm…. Just a bed?"_

"_Oh, you got other ideas?"_

"_A few."_

"_Well hurry it up so we can test out these ideas of yours."_

"_Aye Aye Captain."_

"_Love you."_

"_Love you too."_

* * *

Bella made sure to grab enough steaks for both Kwoli and Paul and checked her kart to make sure she'd gotten everything she came for.

By the time Bella got home, Paul had already gotten Kwoli settled in the guest room and was sitting on the bottom stair, staring at the front door.

As soon as she walked in the house, the bags were nearly ripped from her hands and seconds later she was carried up the stairs and thrown onto the bed.

**+++++++++++++++++++++++++++SEX++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++**

"Hey those were my favorite pair!" Bella cried as Paul ripped her pants from her legs

"We'll get you some new ones." He growled, stripping her of the rest of her clothes

"Are we in a hurry or something?" She asked as he climbed on top of her

"Not at all."

"Then slow down please."

"But Bella," He whined

"We talked about this remember? This time is supposed to be slow and gentle."

Paul groaned but nodded in acceptance.

"Next round we can be rough as you want though." She grinned slyly

"Next round?"

"Mmhmm…. I've got ideas remember?"

Paul grinned and swooped in to capture her lips.

After a few minutes he broke the kiss and sat back on his haunches to stare down at Bella.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" He asked

Bella blushed and Paul was delighted to discover that that beautiful red spread much farther than her face.

He trailed his fingers along her collar bone and then moved his hands to grip her breasts.

"Perfect." He whispered, giving each nipple a pinch before leaning down and pulling one into his mouth

He sucked and nibbled each nipple, delighting in the sounds of Bella's gasps.

Deciding he'd had enough of playing with her breasts, Paul trailed his fingers down Bella's stomach and then followed the trail with his tongue. As his tongue traveled lower, his eyes rolled up to stare at Bella who was staring down at him. Her mouth parted slightly, tongue peeking out and sliding along her lips; pupils blown wide with lust. She was beautiful like this, but Paul knew she would be absolutely gorgeous in the midst of an orgasm.

"I want to try something." He said, breath ghosting across her warm, wet folds and making her shiver

"What?"

"I want to taste you."

"Huh?" Bella asked, finding it hard to focus when he his mouth was directly above the spot where she wanted his penis to be

Figuring a demonstration would be better; he gave an experimental lick and kept his eyes on Bella the entire time in order to gage her reaction.

Bella gasped at the sensation and bucked up.

"Like that?" He chuckled

She nodded and thrust her hips up.

"Then you're going to love this." He grinned

His tongue slid along her entrance, teasing and bringing whispered begs for more.

He wasted no more time and began to ravage her with his tongue.

Bella moaned and writhed beneath him, begging for more and thrusting her hips in time with the thrust of his tongue.

"More!" Bella gasped

"Please…." She whined

"What do you want? Tell me what you want." Paul said moving up until they were face to face

"You … inside me…. Please!" She begged

Paul gripped his member with one hand and guided it slowly into Bella.

Her back arched and she moaned as she felt him sliding into her. The first time had been so rough and fast that she hadn't really got to appreciate just how big Paul was and how it felt to have her walls clenching and quivering around him.

Paul was fighting to remember that this was supposed to be slow and gentle; the feel of Bella clenched so tightly around him was mind blowing and he gasped and groaned once he was buried to the hilt.

Bella gave an experimental swirl of her hips and gasped at the sensation.

"Move …. Oh gosh… please move!" She groaned

Paul slid slowly out of her and just as slowly back in. He loved the way her walls clinched around him like a vice; the way her back arched when he slid back in at just the right angle, the way she moaned and writhed beneath him.

He would bring her to the edge of orgasm and then pull back so suddenly that it made Bella's head spin and she whined in protest.

"Please!" She cried

"Please what?" He asked, slowly his thrust so that it was almost as if he weren't moving at all

"Don't tease me." She groaned

Paul decided to comply with her request and began to angle and time his thrust so that the orgasm he had been denying her would finally happen.

It seemed like hours before Bella suddenly slammed her head back against the pillows; her hips bucked and she writhed beneath Paul as a scream fell past her lips. Incoherent mumbles and grunts slid past her lips as she rode the waves of her orgasm.

Feeling her walls clenching even tighter around him, Paul could no longer control the need to release his orgasm and with an animalistic growl he was riding out his own wave.

When they finally came down from their orgasmic high, Paul collapsed and rolled so that Bella was resting on top of him. They gasped for breath and Paul moaned as his sensitive member, which was still buried inside of Bella, was squeezed by sporadic clenches.

"That was," Bella started

"Amazing, fantastic, mind blowing." Paul finished

After a few minutes, Bella leaned up so that she could look down at Paul.

"Mmhmm… you up for round two?"

Paul grinned and thrust his hips,

"Does that answer your question?"

Bella giggled and looked toward the bathroom.

"Shower or bath tub?" She asked

"Shower ….. definitely shower." Paul answered, rolling them so that he could easily slide out of Bella

Once he was no longer buried inside of her, the two of them made a mad dash for the bathroom and within seconds Paul had Bella pressed up again the shower wall.

* * *

**A/N: Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and as always reviews are welcomed. The poll on my profile will remain open until Saturday (8-6-11) so if you guys haven't voted on that please do so, as the outcome of the votes will affect where the story goes from here.**


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: I've decided to leave the poll up for another week, so for those of you haven't voted go on over to my profile and let me know whether or not you would like the Cullen's to make an appearance in this story.**

**As always thank you to my readers and reviewers as well as those who have added this story to their favorites and/or alert list.  
**

The boys were back on patrol and Bella had gone back to school, this time without Emily, who had upon Sam's insistence, decided to wait until the vampire was caught before returning to school.

Sam had tried to convince Paul to tell Bella she shouldn't go back to school either, but Paul hadn't been willing to do so.

"Bella's happy Sam; she likes going to school and she has friends there, why would I want to keep her from that?"

"Because there's a vampire after her."

"I can't ask her to put her life on hold, Sam."

"But aren't you worried something could happen while she's away from the Rez?"

"Scared out of my mind man; but we don't know how long it's going to take us to catch this leech lady. I mean we've been after her for months and so far we've only managed to catch and kill two of her lackeys."

"Well if she's going to continue going to school, then we're going to need to keep one of the boys with her at all times." Sam said

"Well Jacob's really the only one who doesn't have any other obligations outside of the pack and Billy. But I don't know that he'd be willing to do it and I'm not sure Bella would be cool with having a babysitter either."

"I'll talk to Jacob. You talk to Bella about it and see what she says."

* * *

When he returned from patrol that night, Paul found Bella and Kwoli snuggled on the couch, eating popcorn and watching TV.

"Hey." He whispered, leaning over the back of the couch and kissing her cheek

Bella jumped and turned to stare up at Paul.

"Hey; I didn't hear you come in."

"Hmph…. Some dog you've got there, he didn't even bark." He said squeezing in behind her on the couch

"Well he knew it was you, so there was no need for him to bark."

"I guess. So how was class today?"

"Eh, it was ok. There's only one teacher that I like this semester and its weird driving up to PA alone."

"So you wouldn't mind having someone to make the drive back and forth with?"

"No. Why?"

"Well Sam and I were talking and he thinks since you insist on going to school, that one of the boys should be with you to keep watch for the leech."

"I guess that makes sense, but I really don't want to put anyone out. And if one of the boys is with me, that's one less wolf you have here to protect the Rez."

"You won't be putting anyone out Bella. But the only one who'd be able to do it is Jacob."

"Jacob? I don't know Paul. I mean he's been a little nicer and less awkward since Christmas, but I don't know."

"Sam is gonna talk to him about it. Who knows, this might be the chance for you two to get back to being friends."

"But it's going to be so awkward! We haven't talked in so long; I don't even know how to talk to him anymore."

"Let's just wait and see if he agrees to it first."

Bella sighed and snuggled into Paul's embrace.

The rest of the night was fairly quiet, aside from the occasional barks and yaps from Kwoli who was tossing and dragging his toys around the house.

* * *

A few days later, Bella arrived home from school to find Jacob sitting on the front porch.

"Jacob? What are you doing here?"

"Uh, Sam talked to me about going up to Port Angelus with you."

"Oh."

"Umm…. Yea, so can we talk?"

"Uh, sure. You hungry?"

"I could eat." He shrugged

There was an awkward silence as Bella set about fixing Jacob something to eat.

After Jacob had devoured the sandwiches, he pushed the plate away and stared at Bella who had taken a seat across from him.

"So, how have you been?" He asked

"Good; you?"

"Ok I guess; been doing a lot of thinking.

"Yea?"

"Mmhmm; about you, Paul…. The imprint."

"Oh."

"I realize now that I was wrong to be mad at you; you didn't ask for the imprint to happen and I had no right to be mad at you for accepting it because you really didn't have any other choice."

"Is that why you think I accepted the imprint? Because I had no other choice?"

"Why else would you have accepted it?" He asked, frowning

"Because even though I wasn't thrilled about the imprint in the beginning, which isn't a secret to anyone, I realized that there had to be a reason the Great Spirits had decided Paul and I were a perfect match. And how could I turn down the chance at having that happily ever after that every girl dreams of? So many people spend their whole lives searching for that one person they're meant to be, and I was lucky enough that I didn't have to. I would've been stupid not to take the opportunity given."

"I guess I understand that, but it's Paul, Bella. I've known him a lot longer than you have and the Paul I know or knew wasn't someone you would have ever given a chance otherwise."

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe you were only getting to see one side of Paul? I admit that Paul has his faults, but I have mine too and so do you Jacob. You like to think that you're so perfect and that you're so much better than Paul, but you forget that you and Paul have led very different lives. Yes you lost your mother, but he lost both his parents. He's had to practically raise himself and if it weren't for some of the Elder's and Jared, who knows where Paul might be today. But you already know that Paul's had a hard life, so I don't need to tell you do I? What I don't understand, is how, knowing what you do, you could begrudge Paul his happiness?"

"I love you Bella and it hurt to have to see you with him. Knowing that I'd worked so hard and done everything I could possibly do to make you love me and it still wasn't enough. How was he worthy of you but not me?"

"You can't make someone love you Jacob; and maybe that's why I wasn't chosen as your imprint. You never could accept the fact that I didn't love you like you wanted me to; that I never would. You were always trying to force me to feel things for you that I just couldn't. And that's one of the big differences between you and Paul. He's never tried to force me to love him or to feel certain things for him; he's allowed me the time to grow as a person and to figure out what it was I wanted from life, him, and the imprint. He hates Edward and the Cullen's just as much as you do, but he also realized that the view I had of them was vastly different from the view he had; and though I had come to my senses where they were concerned, I had still loved and cared for them greatly at one point in time. And he certainly didn't like it, but he understood that I needed the time to let go of them and that part of my past before I could move forward; but you could never understood that Jacob."

Jacob frowned as he mulled over all the things Bella had said, and though he could see that there was truth in her words, he didn't much like the fact that she was right.

"I never really looked at it that way; I guess I was too busy feeling sorry for myself. But I've come to see that Paul really does love you, maybe more than I ever could have, and that you love him too."

"I'm glad that you realize that."

"And I've also come to realize that having you as a friend is better than not having you in my life at all; I know things can't really go back to the way they were, but I'd like to be your friend again."

"I'd like that too, Jacob. I've really missed you." Bella replied with a tentative smile

Jacob returned her smile with one of his own.

"So I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow?"

"You're going to be my watch dog uh?"

"It's a hard job but someone's gotta do it."

They shared a laugh and Bella told Jacob what time to be at her house the next day. With a hug and one last smile Jacob headed out to start his patrol.

* * *

**A/N: Feel free to leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.**


	37. Chapter 37

Jacob and Bella's friendship slowly begin to mend, though it was nothing like what it had once been, nor would it ever be; there had been too much said, mainly on Jacob's part, to allow the closeness that had existed before. Not only that, but Bella had Paul now, so she didn't need Jacob the way she once had and it was a little startling for Jacob to realize that. Where he had once been her best friend and confidant, he was now just her friend; someone she could hang out with and talk to, but not someone she would share all her secrets with.

In the time they spent together, Jacob learned a lot about Bella and came to realize that she had changed quite a bit. She was stronger now, not necessarily in a physical sense, but she seemed to have a better sense of her self-worth and she also seemed more confident. While it was nice to see these changes in Bella, it saddened him that he had missed them. And now he found himself jealous of Paul for more than one reason. Before Paul had become her boyfriend and then fiancé, he had first been her friend, probably a much better friend than Jacob had ever been.

As Jacob listened to Bella's stories of her time spent with the pack, he began to realize just how much he had alienated himself from everyone; he'd not only ruined his friendship with Bella, but he had also managed to damage the bond between him and his pack brothers. It sucked having to hear from Bella what was going on in the lives of the pack; sure he shared a mind link with them when phased, but ever since the imprint, he'd been focused solely on his own thoughts and hadn't paid much attention to what filtered through the link.

* * *

When the weekend arrived and the pack gathered for their routine bonfire, Jacob decided it was high time he do some apologizing.

"There are some things I'd like to say, if you guys don't mind." Jacob said as he stood before the pack and imprints."

After receiving nods from everyone, he began to speak.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I've realized a lot of things. My behavior these last few months has been unacceptable and definitely not fair to you guys. I've taken my anger out on you guys and it wasn't right of me to do so; I haven't been the brother I should've been to you all and for that I apologize. I'd especially like to apologize to you Paul, my treatment of you has been unfair and undeserved; I let my emotions get the better of me and allowed them to cloud my judgment, thereby ignoring the fact that you had no control over the imprinting. You and Bella are perfect for each other and it's clear to everyone, including me now, just how much you love and care for her. You're a great man and if it can't be me, then I'm glad you were the one chosen for Bella. And as for you Bella, I don't think I ever really apologized for my behavior towards you. I was a horrible friend and abandoned you when you probably needed me most; which I suppose is proof enough that I really don't deserve you. I'm glad that you've found someone who will love and treat you the way you deserve. From now on, I'll try to be a better brother and friend to you all."

There was a brief moment of silence, before Bella slipped from Paul's embrace and moved to where Jacob was standing.

She gripped his hands in her own,

"Thank you." She said and offered him a smile

He then received a slap on the back from Sam, followed by Embry, Seth, Quil and Jared.

Paul slowly moved from his position in the sand and moved to stand behind Bella, who still stood in front of Jacob.

"I suppose if Bella can forgive you, then so can I. But make no mistake Jacob, future Alpha or not, you hurt Bella again and I won't hesitate to end you." He said with a hard glare

Jacob nodded his head in acceptance and was then dragged off by Embry, who claimed he had a lot of fun stories to tell.

* * *

**A/N: I know this chapter is oober short and I do apologize for that, next chapter will definitely be longer [promise].  
**


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: There's some time skipping going on here (It is now the end of May/beginning of June). **

**The poll pertaining to this story will be closed this Saturday (8/13/11) and there will not be another chapter until after Wednesday (8/17/11).**

**Now onto the story...**

* * *

Months passed, and though the pack was picking up more scents and had even managed a few near catches of Victoria, she was still slipping past them.

They were growing more frustrated by the day; they were almost at their wits end and the exhaustion was beginning to take its toll on everyone.

"UGH! I just don't understand why we haven't caught her yet; I mean there's seven of us and only one of her." Jared grumbled as they piled into Sam's house

"She is freakishly fast man; if she wasn't a leech and trying to kill Bella, I might be impressed." Seth said

The boys continued to gripe about the elusive leech, while the girls were in the kitchen preparing dinner for them all.

As spring gave way to summer, there were many more nights like this one and the boys begin trying to come up with new strategies.

Some of the strategies included round the clock patrols, which was quickly vetoed by most of the boys because they were barely managing four hours of sleep a day/night as it was. Another strategy involved increasing the number of wolves on patrol at one time; then someone suggested switching the patrol route, thinking that it might confuse Victoria and she would slip up. It was Seth, who suggested that they have one wolf running through the forest while the others masked their scents and hid out; he figured that it would make Victoria think the wolf was alone and vulnerable and she would strike. After careful consideration it was decided that they would first increase the number of wolves on patrol and alter the patrol route. If neither of these ideas produced results, it was decided that Seth's suggestion would be implemented.

After a few weeks of the new strategies, it was discovered that they were getting a lot closer to Victoria than they had previously been able to. They also discovered that she was visiting the area much more often and that her scent was stronger and more concentrated in certain areas of the forest. Realizing that the change of strategies might actually be working they decided that before the end of July, Seth's plan would be implemented.

Those with imprints were given specific nights off so that they could explain to their imprints what would be taking place, except Quil who would just be given a night off to spend with Claire seeing as how she was unaware of the wolves and there was no way he could tell a four year old he was going off to chase a vampire and that he might very well die in the process.

* * *

"I don't know if I like this idea Paul."

"I don't much like it either Bella but we've got to do something; none of us want to be chasing this leech forever. Besides, I miss you something awful little swan and until we catch her, our time together is limited."

Bella sighed and buried her face against Paul's chest, inhaling deeply.

"I miss you too wolf boy. And I understand, really I do; I just know how dangerous this is, and I'm worried."

"I'm worried too. But I really think this is going to work." He replied pulling her closer to him

"When will it happen?"

"Sam says before August."

"Just promise me you won't die out there ok; that none of you will die out there."

"I can't promise you that Bella, I want to, but I just can't because I don't know what will happen. But I will promise that we'll be careful and that we'll look after each other."

After a few moments of silence, Bella lifted her head up to look at Paul.

"So who's going to be the one playing bait?"

"Seth."

"Seth? But he's so young and he was the last to phase, do you really think he can do it?"

"We do. He's fast and he's smart Bella, besides it was his idea in the first place and he volunteered to be the bait. And in the end it was between him and Embry, and we all agreed Seth was the better choice."

"Why was it between him and Embry?"

"Sam thought it was best if the wolf playing bait was someone without an imprint."

"I guess I can see why he would think that. But as Alpha, shouldn't he be volunteering himself up for the job?"

"Maybe, I don't know." Paul shrugged

It was fairly quiet for the remainder of the evening and it wasn't until they were crawling into bed that Bella decided to mention the idea that had popped into her head earlier.

"I've got an idea." She said as she helped Kwoli up onto the bed

"What is it?" Paul asked

"Well maybe I could be out there with Seth."

"Uh? Say what?"

"Just hear me out ok. Maybe Seth and I could pretend to just be taking a stroll through the forest, while you guys hide out and then when Victoria shows up, Seth will phase and you guys will jump out at her."

"Have you lost your mind?" Paul asked, staring at her in disbelief

"No. Just think about it. If it's just Seth strolling around, Victoria's less likely to attack because she'll probably think it's a trap. But if you've got me there, well it's me she's after, and she won't hesitate to attack then."

"Which is exactly why I think this a horrible idea! This leech is fast, Bella, faster than you can imagine; what if she gets to you before Seth has time to phase or before any of us have time to get to her? What then?"

"But you guys will be ready! You'll be expecting her to attack, but she won't be expecting the other six of you to be there, so when you come from out of nowhere it's going to surprise her and she's going to falter, giving you plenty of time to get between me and her. Then Seth can take me some place and guard me while you guys take care of Victoria."

Paul hated to admit it, but Bella was making a lot of sense. His number one job was to protect his imprint and keep her safe, allowing her to play bait was in no way protecting or keeping her safe …. at least not in the short term; if he looked at the bigger picture though he could see that by allowing Bella to be there, they might have a higher chance of catching and disposing of Victoria which in the end would make Bella safe. So allow her to play bait, risk her life and possibly give them a better chance at catching the leech or deny her request, her life would still be at risk and their chances of catching the leech might be lower.

"I'm going to have to think about this Bella. Maybe talk it over with the pack."

"I know you don't like this idea Paul, I'm not even sure I like it. But I think it's the best shot we've got at getting rid of her, once and for all."

* * *

After a few days of thinking over Bella's idea and being unable to come to a decision, Paul decided it was time to talk to the pack about it.

They were all touched by Bella's concern for them and her willingness to place herself in further danger in order to help them. But most of them were hesitant to agree to it; like Paul they saw the benefits of the idea but they were also wary of allowing Bella to play bait.

For hours they went back in forth, until finally Sam decided that they should just vote on it.

Seth – No

Quil – No

Sam – Yes

Jacob – No

Jared – Yes

Embry – Yes

In the end the vote came down to Paul and with a heavy heart he voted 'yes'.

* * *

**A/N: Reviews, as always, are appreciated. **


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: I know I said there wouldn't be another chapter up until Wednesday, but I got this chapter done much earlier than I expected to and decided to just go ahead and let you guys have it.**

**Also, the poll is now closed and it has been decided that the Cullen's will make an appearance (for those of you who voted 'no'... I have a feeling you're going to like what I've got planned for the Cullen's.)**

* * *

Immediately after his vote, Paul left Sam's house to go home and inform Bella of their decision.

"So?" She asked when he walked into the kitchen where she was preparing dinner

"We took a vote on it; Seth, Quil and Jacob all said 'no'. Sam, Jared and Embry said 'yes'." He said hopping onto the kitchen counter and pulling Bella so that she stood between his legs

"And you?" She asked

"I voted 'yes'." He sighed

Bella was shocked; she hadn't expected that at all.

"What? Why?"

"It's what you wanted isn't it?" He asked

"Well yes, but I don't understand. You were so against the idea in the beginning and I thought for sure that wasn't going to change."

"I wanted to say 'no', I really did. But I know you Bella, and even if I had voted 'no' you still would've found a way to be there."

"You know me so well." She smiled, trying to lighten the mood

"Mmhmm. Then I remembered why I phased in the first place; I have a duty to my tribe, to protect them and keep them safe and as long as Victoria is on the loose, no one here is safe. I most certainly don't like the idea of you being out in the forest, but then I thought about the possibility of the leech getting past us and finding you. If all of us are out in the forest there wouldn't be anyone here to protect you; so in the end, I figured you might actually be safer out there surrounded by the pack."

"Thank you for letting me do this. I know it won't make much sense to you but I just feel like I have to be there; like seeing her being destroyed will finally and completely close the door on that chapter of my life."

"Just promise me you'll do what we tell you to."

"I promise. Now let's eat."

Neither Paul nor Bella said much after that, both too focused on the events to come.

Paul hoped he'd made the right decision in allowing Bella to be there when they took out Victoria and Bella just hoped that everyone would come out of it alive and well.

* * *

As the days passed, the pack patrolled and discussed when they should implement Seth's plan. They also had Seth practice his phasing so that he would be able to phase within a matter of seconds instead of the usual minute or so it normally took. It was also decided that Bella would be riding Seth in his wolf form to a safer location so they had her practice riding him as well, to ensure that she wouldn't fall off.

Victoria seemed to be making appearances a lot more than she had before and the pack assumed it had something to do with the fact that they were constantly changing their route, who was phased and when, and how big or small the phased group was; they figured it had to be confusing her and she was appearing more often in attempts to figure out their routine.

Though Victoria had been unable to figure out the pack's routine, they had figured out hers and knew which days she tended to appear and at what time; they had also figured out that on certain days she would make a run through the forest more than once. So, figuring they were as ready as they would ever be, on the 15th of July, they set out into the forest.

They thought of masking their scents but then realized that that might seem suspicious to Victoria considering she had grown used to seeing them in the forest every time she was there; so it would be odd to her if she couldn't smell any of them, and would no doubt alert her that it was a trap. All the wolves, except Seth, headed out into the forest early that morning so that they could be well hidden before Victoria showed up. A few hours later, Seth and Bella headed for the forest themselves.

Before he'd left the house that morning, Paul had gone over the plan with Bella and made her repeat it back to him so that he knew, she had remembered it. He also held onto her for what seemed like a good ten to fifteen minutes, whispering his love for her and telling her that everything would be fine. Bella tried to reassure him that she would stick to the plan and that she loved him too. Finally Sam told them it was time to go, and with one last kiss, Paul headed off with the rest of the pack while Seth stayed behind with Bella.

Bella watched them disappear into the forest behind her and Paul's house and said a silent prayer to God and Taha Aki and whoever else might be listening, asking that the boys be protected and that they all come out of this fight alive.

When it was time for them to make their way into the forest, Seth turned to Bella and gripped her shoulders,

"Just remember, don't act nervous or suspicious an anyway. Don't look over your shoulder or look around more than is normal for a stroll through the forest, ok? Victoria will no doubt be watching and if you seem like you're expecting her to be there, she'll know something's up. Stay close to me and as soon as I phase, you hop on and we run for it. Don't hesitate and don't look around for the other guys. You climb on and grab onto to my fur, just like we practiced, and don't let go until we've reached our safe spot, ok?"

Bella nodded her head and blew out a deep breath, closing her eyes and running over the plan in her head once again.

"Got it." She said, once she realized he was waiting for a verbal reply

Satisfied that she understood and would stick to the plan, Seth gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze and then the two of them headed for the forest.

As they entered the forest, Bella had to force herself not to search out the other wolves and tried to focus all of her attention on Seth and what he was saying, instead of the impending danger. She was sure that when it was all over she wouldn't even remember what this conversation was about and she was pretty sure she wouldn't care either.

Seth kept his senses open and those his eyes remained focused on the path ahead and occasionally Bella, he was still aware of everything else around him. He knew exactly where each pack member was located and he was also aware of how close he and Bella were to the expected ambush spot.

Less than a half hour into their walk, Seth's nose picked up Victoria's scent and he made a quick glance upward, appearing to just be looking up at the trees, when really he was scouting for a sight of flaming red hair. Within, moments he had spotted her and his senses were on high alert. Every instinct in his body was telling him to phase, but he fought it down, knowing that he had to wait for the right moment. His ears tracked the sound of her dancing through the trees and he could tell that she was getting closer to them. He was a little surprised that she hadn't just made a mad dash for Bella, but he realized that she was under the assumption that she hadn't been scented or sensed yet and was going for the element of surprise; too bad it wasn't working.

* * *

**A/N: Review and let me know what you thought of this chapter and/or previous chapters. Just to warn you guys, the final show down between Victoria and the wolves will not go the way it did in the book (as if you didn't already know that); so if you're expecting to read something like what you read in the book, you'll be disappointed.**


	40. Chapter 40

It was another half hour before Seth and Bella reached the expected ambush spot, which had been determined when it was discovered that Victoria scent was stronger in this particular area. Just as expected, Victoria jumped down from her place in the trees and Bella found that being this close to her was much more frightening than she had anticipated.

* * *

"Well what do we have here; the little human out for a stroll with her doggie." Victoria cackled

Seth remained un-phased; listening for the pack as they slowly and quietly emerged from their hiding places.

Victoria was so focused on Bella that she failed to notice the three wolves creeping up behind her.

"Maybe I should kill the puppy first; then there will be no one to stop me from doing what I want with you."

Bella tried her best to keep her eyes on Victoria instead of the approaching wolves and she tried to quell her shaking, knowing that the scent of her fear would only excite Victoria more.

"Nothing to say? No pleading for me to spare your little friend?"

"I won't give you the satisfaction of hearing me beg." Bella replied, sounding much braver than she felt

"Then I guess I'll just have to settle with hearing you scream." She grinned and faster than Bella's eyes could track, she knocked Seth to the side and wrapped her hand around Bella's neck

"This is going to be so much fun." She cackled, a manic grin on her face and that fire red hair blowing in the wind

As she moved to throw Bella, the wolves finally made their move and she was slammed from the side by Paul. Before she had time to react the rest of the wolves were on her and Seth who had recovered from being thrown into the tree, was phased and racing for Bella.

He nudged Bella's side with his nose and lied down next to her so that she could climb onto his back. It took Bella a moment to register what it was she was supposed to do and as she climbed onto his back, she couldn't help but glance to where the rest of the pack was. She watched as Victoria managed to throw one of the wolves, who she thought might be Embry, and fought down her instincts to run to him and make sure he was ok as his body collided with a tree.

As soon as Bella's grip had tightened on his fur, Seth shot off toward the pre-designated safe location. Bella closed her eyes against the sting of the wind and buried her face in Seth's fur. She wanted so badly to look back and see what was happening, but she knew that at the speed Seth was going, they were probably too far away now for her to be able to see. Within a matter of minutes, they'd reach the safe spot and Seth slowly lowered himself to the ground so that Bella could climb off. He butted his head against Bella's leg and jerked his head toward the cabin behind her.

"You'll let me know if something goes wrong, right?" Bella asked

Seth nodded his headed and then gently used his head to push her towards the cabin.

Reluctantly, Bella made her way into the cabin and watched as Seth turned back in the direction of where the fight with Victoria was taking place. Though he was sitting and for all intents and purposes appeared to be calm, Bella knew that his muscles were tensed and ready for action should he need to dart off and assist his pack. She also knew that every single one of his senses was on high alert and that he was tapped into the pack mind, assuring Paul that she was safe.

Afternoon turned to night and Bella watched from the cabin window as Seth paced back and forth, occasionally tensing and moving as if he wanted to run. Bella knew that something must have happened because it shouldn't have taken six wolves this long to get rid of Victoria. She wanted to ask Seth what was happening but figured that it was more important for him to stay in communication with the pack; so she paced back in forth in front of the window, her stomach in knots and her heart beating erratically. By the time morning came, she'd bitten her nails down to almost nothing and though she was exhausted, hadn't moved from her position in front of the window.

Finally at about midday, she saw Seth's body begin to shake and he was back to his human form. He didn't even have time to pull his pants on before Bella was racing outside and ambushing him with questions.

"What happened? Are they are ok? Why did it take so long? Is Victoria gone? Are they hurt? Are they coming here? I wanna see Paul, when can I see Paul? Are you hungry? I could probably find you something to eat. Do you think they'll be hungry? Yea, yea…. They will be. I should go fix something. Are they ok?" She rambled off, barely breathing in between each question, her eyes wide and frantic

"First, calm down." Seth said grabbing a hold of her arms and pulling her into his chest

Once her breathing had slowed and he could hear her heart beating at a semi-normal level, he begin to answer her questions.

"Everyone is ok, a few bruises and scratches; maybe a broken bone here or there but nothing serious. They're making their way here now. They will most definitely be hungry. The kitchen is fully stocked because we didn't know how long you might have to stay here. As for what happened and why it took so long… they'll explain when they get there. For now, let's go inside and wait for them."

Bella nodded her head and allowed Seth to guide her into the house and then the kitchen. She immediately began searching through the fridge, cabinets and freezer. In no time had all she had all the ingredients for spaghetti, figuring that it would be the easiest and provide the carbs and protein needed to replenish the packs energy. Bella also whipped up several desserts and made some homemade garlic bread to go with the spaghetti.

By the time the last dessert was pulled from the oven, Seth could hear the pack approaching; but before he had time to tell Bella, Paul had burst through door, nearly tearing it off the hinges.

In seconds Paul had Bella in his arms, her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. The two of them paid no mind to the rest of the pack, who slowly filtered into the house and collapsed onto the floor and couches.

"I was so scared!" Bella sobbed

"It's ok. We're all ok and the leech is gone." Paul reassured her

"She's gone?"

"Mmhmm."

"What happened? You guys were gone for so long and Seth was phased the whole time so I had no idea what was going on or if you guys were ok."

"Why don't we eat first and then we'll tell you what happened." Paul suggested

"OH, yea! You guys must be starved." Bella said as she start to wiggle out of Paul's grip

Paul reluctantly loosened his grip and allowed Bella to stand on her own two feet, but he wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her into the kitchen. He made sure she fixed her plate before calling Seth in to fix his plate.

"You go ahead man." Seth said, waving him off

"Just fix you a plate." Paul said in a voice that left no room for argument

As Bella moved to sit down at the table, Paul moved to stand beside Seth.

"Thanks for keeping her safe man." He said, squeezing Seth's shoulder

"It was no problem; Bella's like a sister to me, to all of us really and we'd do anything to keep her safe."

"I know that. Just thanks, for realizing it was more important to protect Bella than it was to help us take down the leech."

"Like I said, no problem man." He shrugged

To Seth, it was no big deal; he'd simply done his job. But to Paul, it was a big deal; Seth had guarded Bella with his life and kept her safe even though every instinct in his body told him to join his pack in taking down the leech.

Soon everyone had acquired a plate (or two) of food and settled down to devour it. It didn't take the wolf boys long to scarf everything down, and Bella was sure they'd have licked the pots clean if she hadn't already washed them.

"Ok, so what happened?" Bella asked as they all gathered in the living room

"Well," Sam started

* * *

**A/N: Reviews as always, are appreciated.**


	41. Chapter 41

**Previous Chp:**

"_Ok, so what happened?" Bella asked as they all gathered in the living room_

"_Well," Sam started_

* * *

"Just as we were getting ready to burn the pieces, we caught a whiff of more scents." Sam said

"She brought more vamps with her?" Bella asked

"Uh, not exactly." Embry replied

"What do you mean not exactly?"

Paul heaved a sigh and Bella turned her attention to him,

"What are they talking about?"

"The scents weren't exactly unfamiliar." Paul said

"Will you guys quit being so vague and just tell me what happened!" She shouted

"It was the Cullen's." Paul answered

Bella's mouth opened and closed several times, incoherent babble spilling from her lips.

"The Cullen's? All of them?" She finally asked

The guys nodded their heads.

"So what happened? Did you guys get in a fight with them?"

"Well the mind reading one saw flashes of you in our minds; then he filtered through Paul's thoughts and saw, well I'm sure you can guess what he saw." Sam explained

"And he attacked you guys?" She asked

Once again, the pack nodded their heads.

Bella's face grew red, and she balled her fist so tightly that her nails broke the skin of her palms.

"HOW DARE HE!" She shouted

The pack jumped, having not expected such an outburst, and then watched as Bella paced back in forth.

"He's the one who left me, and in the woods no less! Seriously who does that? Anyway, what right does he have to come here and attack you," She said pointing her finger at Paul "because of what he saw in your mind. And then there's the treaty, how stupid does he have to be to attack you on your own land? Did he not realize that it would be within your rights to kill him? Did his family even try to stop him?"

"They did." Sam answered

Bella paced back and forth some forth, seething and muttering about stupid virgin vampires.

Once she had calmed down, a little bit, she turned back to the pack and demanded more explanations.

"So what happened after he attacked you?" She asked

"Well, naturally we fought back. And I suppose his family thought it was a little unfair to have six against one so they decided to help him out."

"Wait a minute….. Are you telling me that the rest of the Cullen's helped Edward to attack you guys?"

"Yes." Sam replied

"Well judging by the fact that you're all here and none of you seemed to be injured, I'm guessing you guys won."

It was Quil, who nodded enthusiastically,

"It was awesome!"

"So did you toss them in the fire too?" She asked

"No." Sam answered

"Uh, why not?" She asked, turning to stare at Sam as if he was the biggest idiot ever

"Dr. Cullen realized that they weren't going to win and that if he didn't do something than his entire family would be roasting in the fire; so he called for them to stop." Sam explained

"So Dr. Cullen calls a cease fire and you guys just say 'ok, that's cool.'?"

"While the family pieced themselves together we were able to talk it over and it was decided that since the rest of the family only jumped in to help one of their own, then they wouldn't be punished. But we couldn't let Edward's attack go unpunished."

"So you tossed him in the fire?" She asked

"No." Sam said shaking his head

"What the hell Sam? This idiot attacks you guys and you just let him go?" She asked incredulously

"Dr. Cullen, as well as the rest of his family thought you might be upset with us if we just disposed of Edward like that."

"And why on earth would I be upset?"

"The family believes that you might still care for him." Paul replied

"And you didn't think to inform them that this was sooooo not the case?"

"We did inform them of this, of course they didn't believe us and requested to speak with you and allow you to decide Edward's fate." Sam answered

"They are in for a rude awakening." She growled

"They want you to come to their house and,"

"Absolutely not! I will not go there!"

"We thought you might feel this way, so it was agreed that we would meet them at the treaty line."

"And when is this supposed to take place?"

"Whenever you're ready." Sam shrugged

"You're ok with this?" She asked turning to Paul

"Not really; but I trust you Bella and I know you're not going anywhere. Plus I kinda want to see the look on their faces when they realize you're 100% Team Wolf." He shrugged

"More like, 100% Team Paul… but you know, I guess it's the same thing really." She grinned and allowed herself to be pulled into a kiss

Once the kiss ended, Bella turned back to the pack and with a slightly deranged grin on her face said,

"Well boys, let's get this show on the road!"

It was decided that they would run their in wolf form, with Bella on Paul's back, because it was faster and it would show the Cullen's that Bella was completely at ease with the wolves.

When they arrived at the treaty line, the Cullen's were already there and when they spotted Bella, smiles spread across their faces only to disappear when Bella glared at them.

"Bella, it's so good to see you." Esme exclaimed

"Hmph…. I'd have to say the feelings not mutual."

"Oh, Bella! I've missed you so much; we have so much catching up to! And what are you wearing? It's absolutely dreadful, we must go shopping soon." Alice said, bouncing in her place next to Jasper

"I think not." Bella frowned

"Bella, please tell me it's not true!" Edward cried out

"Depends on what you're referring to." She replied

"Tell me you haven't let this monster defile you." He growled, shooting a glare at Paul, who had phased back and was holding Bella's hand in his own

"Defile me? Monster?" Bella laughed

"First of all, I think you're a little confused on who the monster here is. And as for letting Paul defile me …. I don't really see how that's any of your business."

The Cullen's were shocked by Bella's reaction to them and Jasper was surprised at the hostility she was directing towards them all.

"Look, we're here for one reason and one reason only. You guys thought it should be up to me to decide what happens to Edward, so that's what I'm here to do. Although I must inform you, you were sadly mistaken when you thought I might still care for him."

"Bella, before you decide Edward's fate, might I be allowed to say a few words?" Dr. Cullen asked

Bella sighed and nodded her head.

"First I would like to apologize for the manner in which my family left you; we should've at least said goodbye. I wish we hadn't listened to Edward and left so abruptly. And up until recently we were unaware of the fact that Edward had lied to us,"

Bella decided to cut in before he could finish,

"I don't really care about any of that Dr. Cullen. The fact of the matter is, that you guys did leave and without so much as a 'see you later, be safe…. Blah blah blah.' And I was crushed, rightfully so, but I got over it. In the months after you left, I came to realize a few things about your family and that manipulative little mind reader you call a son. And though I don't particularly like you and I definitely don't hold any warm fuzzy feelings for you guys, I'm glad that you left; if you hadn't, chances are I might've become a vampire and lived to regret for all eternity. I'm in love with a wonderful man now and we're deliriously happy and I don't appreciate you guys showing up here like this trying to mess things up."

"But Bella," Edward cried

Bella completely ignored him and continued on with her speech,

"I don't really care what happens to Edward so I will allow Sam to make the decision regarding his fate. Once that is over, I would very much like if you guys left; you've brought nothing but trouble to this town and I think it's best if you never returned here; of course that's really up to Sam to decide, but I'm sure he feels the same."

With that being said, she turned to Paul and asked if they could go home.

"You two go ahead, and the rest of you guys too, except Jacob." Sam said

Bella and Paul were the first to leave and the rest followed soon after.

* * *

**A/N: So... please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter. **


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N: To all you Cullen (mainly Edward) lovers out there... don't hate me for what I'm about to do.**

* * *

"Why did you want me to stay?" Jacob asked

Sam pulled Jacob far away enough from the Cullen's so that conversation couldn't be easily overheard

"As future Alpha, and present Beta, it is your right and duty to be here." He explained

"But there is another reason I asked you to stay. I am not the rightful Alpha and I feel that it is not my place to deal out Edward Cullen's punishment; that right falls to you as rightful Alpha and future Chief of the Quileute tribe."

Sam allowed a few moments for the meaning of his words to sink in, and then when Jacob said nothing, he continued.

"I know you are aware of the power struggle between the two of us and how easy it has become for you to fight off my Alpha commands. I fear that if we do not address this soon, the power struggle between us will worsen and we will be forced to fight for position of Alpha; a fight I would no doubt lose. The position of Alpha is yours to take Jacob, however, if you do not wish to take it, then I will continue to act in your place until such time that you decide you are ready."

Jacob thought over these words carefully and realized that Sam's offering to step down from his position of Alpha was a testament to the faith and trust that he had in Jacob. Considering his options carefully, Jacob realized that it was time for him to take up his rightful place. He was never meant for anything less than Alpha and until he accepted that, the pack would not and could not be as strong as it should.

"All my ancestors before me have been Alpha's and Chief's of the tribe; it is time I take up the position that I was meant for."

Sam and Jacob both phased and Sam slowly lowered himself to the ground. He rolled over onto his back, bearing both his belly and his neck in a show of complete submission and Jacob bit down on his neck. The shift was almost immediate and Jacob felt a bit heavier; as if there was an invisible weight settled on his shoulders. But at the same time it felt right and he could tell that his wolf was more at ease now. Once Jacob released him, Sam rolled back over and slowly stood, but kept his head low until Jacob phased back. After Sam phased back, they walked back over to the Cullen's who had been watching with interest the entire time.

* * *

Edward immediately began rifling through the minds and gasped at what he discovered; Sam might have considered letting him go with a warning and an order to never return but he knew the same could not be said for Jacob Black.

"The rightful Alpha has taken his place." Edward informed his family

As Jacob faced the Cullen's, he seemed to stand taller and prouder than he had before.

"Dr. Cullen, your son attacked my pack on our land and without any provocation from us. As you know, his attack is a violation of the treaty and I am well within my rights to call for his death." He said, giving it time for his words to sink in

"As it is my right, I call for Edward Cullen to be killed."

Alice and Esme immediately broke into sobs and Edward pleaded with Dr. Cullen to do something.

"You can't let him do this to me!" Edward shouted

"I'm afraid I have no say in the matter." Dr. Cullen replied

"I will give you time to say your goodbyes." Jacob said, then he turned to Sam

"Phase and send out a howl for the rest of the pack to come back; they should be here for this."

Sam nodded and did as he was told.

A few moments later the rest of the boys returned.

"What happened?" Embry asked

"I have stepped down from my position as Alpha." Sam explained

"And I feel that as Edward Cullen, launched an attack on the entire pack, that the entire pack should have a hand in his punishment."

"And what is his punishment?" Paul asked

"Death."

Paul nodded his head and moved to join Quil and Embry as they started a fire.

Sam and Jared moved to grab hold of Edward so that he couldn't try to escape.

Once the fire was set, Sam and Jared let go of Edward and immediately the entire pack was on him; ripping him limb from limb. The rest of the Cullen's looked on in horror as a member of their family was so viciously killed, but none moved to interfere; they knew that Edward had brought this on himself and should they try to interfere, they would surely meet the same fate.

After the last piece of Edward had been thrown into the fire, Jacob walked back to the Cullen's.

"I ask that your family remain in Forks for one more day so that you may all be present for the signing of the new treaty."

"New treaty?" Dr. Cullen asked

"Yes. My ancestors believed that as animal drinkers, you were not as big of a threat to our people but you have proven that is not the case. You brought human drinkers to our lands and placed not only our tribe but the people of Forks in danger as well."

There was no denying that Jacob was right.

"What will this new treaty entail?" Dr. Cullen asked, seeing as the rest of his family were too busy staring at the fire

"For as long as my people dwell on these lands; for as long as the wolf gene is present in the blood of my descendants, you and your family shall not step foot anywhere near La Push or Forks. I would prefer that you never step foot in Washington again as well."

Considering all the damage and danger is family had cause, Dr. Cullen knew that Jacob was well within his rights to make such request.

"Meet us here tomorrow at midnight." Jacob said and with that

Once the fire was put out, the pack headed home, with orders to meet tomorrow for in order to discuss the new changes.

* * *

**A/N: Review, let me know what you think (you can even tell me you hate me for killing Edward, not that I'll care much). For those of you who might be thinking Jacob sounds a little out of character, well... He has just taken on the role of Alpha, a role which calls for a much more mature Jacob, hence why he sounds that way. Any questions or comments regarding this chapter and/or previous chapters, feel free to send me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. **


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N: Thank you to those of you have left such lovely reviews for the last few chapters. **

**Oh and just so no one gets confused:**

**The Fight with Victoria started on Friday (July 15th) but she wasn't completely demolished and burning until around 1 or 2 AM on Saturday (July 16th). The Cullen's showed up at about 3:00AM on Saturday and the fight with them lasted until around 9:00 or ****10:00**** AM. So the pack showed up at the cabin around 1:30PM because it was quite a distance from where the fights took place. And this chapter takes place on Sunday (July 17th).  
**

* * *

Bella was already asleep when Paul returned home that night so she wouldn't find out until morning, what had taken place.

The next morning Paul awoke to the smell of pancakes and bacon and the sounds of Bella moving around in the kitchen.

He slipped into the bathroom for a quick shower and then headed downstairs for breakfast.

"Morning." Bella grinned as Paul entered the kitchen

"Someone's in a good mood." He smiled, pulling her in for a kiss

Bella moaned into the kiss and gasped as Paul's fingers slipped underneath her shirt and trailed along her sides.

"We'll definitely finish this later." He smirked

"And why can't we finish this now?" Bella pouted

"Pack meeting at Sam's." He explained

Bella huffed and turned her attention back to the stove.

"So what happened last night?" She asked as she flipped the pancakes

"Well Jacob is the Alpha now."

"Really? Wow!"

"Mmhmm… and the mind reader is dead."

Bella was silent for a moment; letting the words sink in and trying to decide how she felt about that.

"Are you ok with that?" Paul asked her

"I'd always held a small bit of worry that he might show up again someday; that I'd be out with our kids one day and I'd see his face. I'd always thought that if/when he showed up again, his appearance might dredge of those old feelings and that I might still feel a bit of pain and sadness about the way he'd left me. But when I saw him yesterday, I was surprised to find that I was ok; I didn't hurt. And I only briefly thought back to those times we'd spent together but with clearer eyes this time. Standing in front of him yesterday, I didn't see the beauty and the grace that I had once seen; I only saw a monster that had used and manipulated me, then tossed me aside like some old and broken toy. So I don't feel sad that he's gone; I feel relieved. I feel like this weight has been lifted and I can really start planning my future now without having to worry about him and his family coming along to screw it up. Edward Cullen and his family have been a dark shadow in my world for far too long and I'm glad to finally be rid of them."

Paul didn't feel that he needed to tell Bella how happy he was to hear that, the smile on his face and the kiss he gave her were answer enough.

There wasn't much else said as Bella placed a plate of pancakes in front of Paul. He took a moment to thank her for cooking and then devoured the food at a rate that had once alarmed Bella, but now didn't even seem to register to her.

After breakfast, the two cleaned up and then Bella went upstairs to shower and get dressed while Paul took Kwoli outside to run around.

* * *

"Awww, look at my two favorite puppies." Bella cooed as she exited the house

Paul turned to glare at her, but Bella just laughed it off and called Kwoli to her.

"What do you say we go see Claire and Chubby later today?" She asked as she stroked his fur

Kwoli gave a happy yip as if he understood what Bella had said and then went back to running circles around Paul.

"Have you played with him in wolf form lately?" Bella asked as she watched the two of them play around

"No; haven't really had the time." He answered

"Hmm…. Well we should probably head over to Sam's now."

Paul nodded his head and scooped Kwoli up to put him back in the house.

"Alright, pup. We'll be back later." Paul said placing him a doggy bed they had placed in the living room for him

Kwoli whined and ran after Paul as he moved to leave.

"Why don't we just take him with us?" Bella asked as she watched the puppy nipping at Paul's leg

"I guess we could." Paul shrugged grabbing the leash and hooking on Kwoli's collar

The three of them then set off for Sam's.

* * *

"So if Jacob is the Alpha now, why isn't the meeting being held at his house?" Bella asked as they walked

"Probably because Sam's house is in a more remote location and there's less chance of someone dropping by or walking by and hearing our conversation."

"Makes sense I guess."

When they arrived at Sam's, they found that aside from Jacob, no one had arrived yet.

"So I hear you're Alpha now." Bella said making her way over to Jacob, who was seated on the couch

Jacob nodded his head.

"How does it feel?"

"Right…. If that makes any sense."

Bella nodded her head, "It does; you were always meant to be Alpha, so playing Beta and taking orders from Sam had to be weird. And I'm sure your wolf side wasn't happy about it either."

"Yea."

"Well I'm happy for you." Bella said, placing a kiss on his cheek and then wondering off to find Paul who was more than likely in the kitchen

"Didn't I just feed you?" She asked when she walked into the kitchen and found him with a muffin in each hand

"I'm a wolf." He replied as if that explained everything, which really it did

No matter how much they ate or how often, the boys always seemed to be hungry.

* * *

A few minutes later the rest of the pack arrived and Jacob called the meeting to order.

"For those of you who haven't been made aware, Sam has stepped down from his position as Alpha and will now be acting as my Beta."

"But I thought Jared was the Beta?" Kim said

"He was. But that was when Sam was Alpha."

"Just because the Alpha's have changed, why do the Beta's have to change too?" She asked

"Just as Sam's position as Alpha was temporary, so was Jared's as Beta. Besides, considering how long Sam had been Alpha it wouldn't have been right for him to go from Alpha to regular pack member."

Kim still seemed a little upset by the fact that her Jared was no longer the Beta, but a look from Jared kept her from speaking further.

"On to the next matter at hand; as we all know, Edward Cullen has been disposed of and a new treaty is to be drafted between them and us."

"Why was the Cullen boy killed?" Kim asked

Jacob turned to Jared, "Did you not tell her anything?"

"Figured you would cover it in the meeting." Jared shrugged

Jacob sighed, "Kim, if you would like to know everything then you will have to ask Jared later. I'm not going to spend time going over what everyone else here already knows."

"For now on the pack meetings will still be held here and we will also continue doing patrols. We will not do them as often as we have previously but I don't want us to get comfortable and then be unprepared should a new threat arise. We will be meeting the Cullen's at the treaty line, tonight at midnight so that we may sign the new treaty. I will see you guys there. Do not be late." And with that Jacob called the meeting to a close

After everyone left, Jacob and Sam sat down to talk about patrols and how they would be changing now that Victoria was gone.

"I think there are only a few things we would need to change; I'll take over the patrols you used to do and you'll take mine. And I think we can keep it to one or two people patrolling at a time; maybe longer but less frequent shifts?" Jacob suggested

"That sounds fine; it'll be nice getting to spend more time with Emily." Sam agreed

"After we sign the treaty tonight, I'll let everyone know they'll have a few days off."

The two talked a little more, before Jacob left to give Sam and Emily some time alone.

* * *

After leaving Sam's house, Jacob headed straight for the council hall where his father was supposed to be meeting with the Elder's today. Billy had been asleep when Jacob got home last night and had gone off with Harry before Jacob had woken up; so he was unaware of the fact that is son was now the Alpha.

Luckily the meeting hadn't started yet, so Jacob wouldn't have to worry about being rude and interrupting.

"Jacob what are you doing here?" Billy asked when he saw his son enter the room

"There's a few things I need to talk to the council about." He said

Billy looked at him questioningly and noticed that Jacob seemed different somehow.

"Is it important?" Billy asked

"Extremely. It's about the pack and the vampire we were hunting; the Cullen's too."

Billy looked surprised at the mention of the Cullen's; it'd been a long while since any of them were mentioned and he hadn't thought he would hear of them again.

A few moments later the meeting was called to order and Billy announced that Jacob had requested to speak with them. When he received a nod of approval, he stood and moved so that he was standing in front of The Council of Elders.

"The vampire that has been causing so many of us to phase, as of Friday, is dead."

"Why is it that you're the one telling us about this and not Sam Uley, as he is the Alpha of your pack?" Old Quil spoke up

"As of yesterday, Sam is no longer the Alpha."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked

"I have taken up my rightful place of Alpha and future Chief of this tribe." Jacob explained

Billy didn't think he'd ever been more proud of his son then he was in that moment. Jacob's previous reluctance to accept who and what he was, had led Billy to believe he might die before he ever got to see his son take on the role he was meant for.

"There will a ceremonial bon fire to celebrate this news, Young Alpha." Old Quil said

"I have more to tell you." Jacob said

"Then tell us." Old Quil instructed

"Just as we had finishing burning the last of the red headed vampire; the Cullen's showed up."

"The Cullen's showed up on our land?" Harry asked in disbelief

Jacob nodded his head, "One of them happens to be a mind reader and the ex of Bella Swan, he saw something in Paul's head that set him off and he attacked us. We were forced to counter his attack and then his family joined in to assist him."

Billy looked outraged.

"How dare they!" He shouted

"What was done about their violation of the treaty?" Old Quil questioned

"It was decided that since the rest of the Cullen's were only acting in defense of their own, they would not be killed. However, the one that initiated the attack was killed by the pack last night."

"So you just let the rest of the Cullen's go unpunished?" Billy asked in disbelief

"I informed them that the previous treaty was null and void and that a new one would be drafted; one that would ban them from the state of Washington for as long as our people dwell here and for as long as the wolf gene is present in the blood of our descendants." Jacob explained

"When will this new treaty be signed?" Harry asked

"Tonight at midnight. I would like the help of The Council of Elders in drafting this treaty so that there may be no loop holes and so that all that needs to be said, will be said."

"We will assist you in the drafting of this treaty." Old Quil responded

The rest of the Elders nodded their head in agreement.

It was decided that there were to be several copies made of the treaty. One would be written on the same kind of paper that the first treaty was written on and with the same kind of ink; so that it may be placed with the other and passed down to the next Alpha, should there be one. There would also be typed copies, which would be given to each member of the pack as well as the Cullen's so that everyone was aware of their place within the treaty and knew what it entailed; Billy showed Jacob the treaty that his Great-Grandfather had drafted so that could see how the new one should be worded.

Later after they had left the Council Hall Billy also decided to entrust the safe keeping of the old journals and treaty to Jacob because as a descendant of Ephraim Black and the Alpha of the current wolf pack, it was his right to have them.

Jacob carefully took the journals from his father and held them gently in his hands. They were fragile and worn; the pages full of Ephraim's tales and the history of the last pack. It was one thing to hear the stories and legends told, but to hold them in his hands; it was an unbelievable feeling.

Once all versions of the treaty had been drafted, Jacob returned to the Council Hall to retrieve them and then gathered his pack and headed for the treaty line; which after today would be expanded to the borders of Washington.

* * *

When the pack arrived, it was to find the Cullen's already there waiting for them.

"Can we please speak to Bella?" Alice pleaded

"Bella has no desire to speak with any of you and I will not delay the signing of this treaty any further. " Jacob told her

"Please, we just want to tell her that we're sorry." Alice pleaded once again

"I will pass along the message." Paul said, though he really had no intention of doing so

"Each of you will be receiving copies of this treaty and I suggest that you keep them with you so that there may be no confusion later."

"This says we won't even be able to come to Washington." Dr. Cullen said as he read it over

"I informed you of this last night." Jacob replied

"Is that really necessary? As long as we promise not to set foot in Forks or La Push, why should we be banned from the whole of Washington?" Dr. Cullen asked

"I'm afraid it is." Jacob said, giving no explanation as to why

Dr. Cullen could see that there would be no changing Jacob's mind about anything in the treaty, so with a weary sigh he began to sign his name. The treaty and its copies were passed around until everyone had signed their name.

"You must leave tonight and never return." Jacob told the Cullen's

Alice and Esme gave a sob and their mates pulled them close trying to offer comfort. Emmett and Rosalie were the only two who had remained quiet through everything, but it was obvious that they were deeply saddened.

"Will you tell Bella that I'm sorry? And that I'll never forget her." Emmett asked as they turned to leave

Jacob nodded his head, and then like shadows disappearing in the dark, the Cullen's were gone.

* * *

**A/N: Well... review and let me know what you think.**


	44. Chapter 44

It was almost strange how quiet and calm things had become in the last few months. Those who had once been terrified because of the 'animal attacks' had moved on with their lives, feeling safe and secure in their beliefs that the danger was gone.

As for Bella and the pack, things had changed for them as well. The pack was stronger and more united under Jacob's leadership, the imprint bonds were flourishing; and Quil discovered that he was perfectly content with the brother/sister bond he and Claire had, and he hoped that never changed. He just couldn't imagine watching her grow up and then one day dating or even marrying her, it just seemed wrong somehow. Quil's feelings on the imprint between he and Claire, inspired Jacob to read through his ancestors journals in the hopes that he might discover that there had been an imprint like this one before; unfortunately he found nothing.

Quil wasn't surprised to hear that there was nothing in the journals about an imprint such as his but it was frustrating, so he decided to right a journal of his own. Jacob thought this was a good idea and encouraged all the guys to start a journal; he asked them to write about their imprint bond (those that had one), about the first time they phased and what it was like, basically anything that might help future generations should they phase.

* * *

One day Jacob came home from a council meeting to find Bella sitting on his porch.

"Hey, Bells. What's up?" He asked as he joined her

"I was wondering about something."

Jacob motioned for her to continue.

"Would it be possible to tell my Dad about the pack?"

"Why do you want to tell him about the pack?" Jacob asked

"I just think it would make things so much easier is all. And he's been asking questions, a lot of them. He's noticed that you guys have a grown a bit more, and he finds it odd the 'animal' attacks have suddenly stopped. He's also noticed a difference in you too; how much more mature you've become and how all of a sudden you're so much bigger than the other guys. He says there's something strange going on here and I've been trying to deflect his questions but I don't like having to lie to him and I don't think he believes me anyway."

"I'd have to talk to the council about this. But if Charlie's suspicious, it's only a matter of time before he figures it out on his own." Jacob sighed

"I'll understand if they won't let us tell him. If they do say no, do you think you could help me come up with something to tell him?" She asked

"Of course."

"Thanks Jake. Well I better get back to the house; Claire is there and there's no telling what she's managed to talk Paul into doing by now." She said, giving him a hug

"Whatever it is, please take pictures." Jacob laughed, imagining Paul with bows in his hair and makeup all over his face

* * *

When Bella walked through the front door, she could hear the sounds of Claire's giggles coming from upstairs.

"Paul, Claire!" She called out

"Save me!" Paul shouted back

Bella laughed and grabbed her camera from the kitchen, before heading upstairs.

The door to the guest room, which Claire had now dubbed her room, was slightly open and peeked inside to see Paul sitting on the floor with Claire standing in front of him; her little hand covering her mouth, trying to keep the giggles from escaping as Paul glared at her.

"Get in here Bella." Paul demanded

Making sure her camera was on and ready to snap a picture, Bella pushed the door open and entered the room.

Paul's back was to her, and Bella could see little pink and purple hair clips scattered throughout his hair.

"Belly!" Claire shouted "Come look, isn't he pretty?" She giggled

Bella moved to stand in front of Paul and her jaw dropped. There was bright red lipstick smeared across his lips, a mix of purple and blue eye shadow smeared across his eyelids and going all the way up into his eyebrows; Claire had somehow managed to gather up enough hair to put into a rubber band and it stood straight up on the top of his head. The little clip on earrings that had come with one of Claire's dolls, were clipped onto Paul's ears and there was a bright pink necklace around his neck.

"Bella." Paul growled

Bella looked into Paul's eyes and the glare he was giving her combined with the make-up on his face, sent Bella into hysterical giggles. She collapsed onto the floor and through her fits of laughter, somehow managed to snap a couple of pictures. Claire soon joined Bella on the floor, and they rolled around together laughing while Paul glared at them.

"Are you two done yet?" He growled

Bella tried her hardest to stop laughing, but one look at Paul and she was at it again.

"Bella come on; help me get this stuff off my face." He whined

Finally she decided to take pity on him and dragged him off into their bathroom to clean his face.

"How did you get talked into this?" Bella asked as she wiped his face

"She pouted and did that watery eyed thing you girls are so good at, and I caved. But I didn't know she would do all of this!" He said gesturing to his face

"You're such a softy." Bella giggled

"I am not! She's just evil." He grumbled

Bella laughed and shook her head as she continued to clean Paul's face.

* * *

**A/N: A bit short I know, but that's just the way it goes sometimes.  
**


	45. Chapter 45

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER WILL CONTAIN SEX.  
**

"So what do you want for your birthday?" Paul asked Bella as they lay in bed together, his fingers running through her hair

"I can't really think of anything." She answered

"Well you've got an entire month to decide."

"You really don't have to get me anything you know."

"I know; so how's the wedding planning going with Kim and Emily?"

"Its torture." Bella whined

"Torture? I doubt it's that bad." He chuckled

"It really is that bad. They show me stuff and then ask what I like but then when I tell them, they make this face like 'ewww, no. I wouldn't pick that for my wedding'. I can't tell you how many flowers and flower arrangements I've looked at. They've been looking into all these venues to have the wedding at and I keep trying to tell them I want to have it here on the Rez; but they aren't listening. I'm seriously thinking you and I should just plan it together and just let everyone know when and where to show up."

"Then why don't we do that? This is our wedding Bella, not theirs. And if you're not happy with what they're planning then you need to say something."

"Would you really help with all this wedding stuff if I decided I didn't want their help in planning it anymore?"

"Mmhmm."

"Ok. So, I guess I should get up and go give them a call." She said moving to get out of bed only to be pulled back down

"I don't have to work today and my patrol isn't till midnight…. You can talk to the girls later." He said as he nibbled on her ear and trailed kisses down her neck

Bella giggled and squirmed under his ministrations.

* * *

It was well past noon by the time the two of them emerged from the room.

Kwoli barked and nipped at their heels as if to show his displeasure at being left alone for so long.

"Come on boy, let's go outside." Paul said as he ran for the back door

"Have fun you two!" Bella called after them

Once outside, Paul shed his clothes and phased and Kwoli immediately gave a happy yip and tried his best to jump and grab Paul's tail.

The two of them ran around for hours, Kwoli weaving in out of Paul's leg; pulling on Paul's tail when it was low enough to reach.

Just as Paul was getting ready to phase back, Bella stuck her out the door and yelled

"FOOD!"

Seconds later, Paul and Kwoli were barging in the house and headed straight for the kitchen.

While Bella and Paul were enjoying their day together Jacob was speaking with the council about letting Charlie in on the secret.

Billy and Harry were the only ones, besides Jacob of course, that had seen no problem with it; Old Quil and Sam however, were a different matter. Old Quil, set in his ways, believed that the secret should remain within the tribe and though Charlie was respected among them, he was still a pale face and therefore should not be allowed to know the truth of the legends. Sam, though he understood Old Quil's point of view, he also thought that it might not be so bad if Charlie was told about the pack.

It was decided that the council would take a few days to think it over and then meet again at the end of the week and give their final decision.

* * *

Friday morning, the council gathered at Billy's to give their decisions.

Harry and Billy's vote remained the same and Sam voted in favor of telling Charlie the secret.

"The four of you have voted in favor of revealing tribal secrets to Charlie Swan, so it matters very little what my vote is; however, I will give it anyway. Charlie Swan has spent much of his life here on this Reservation and he has always been respectful of our customs and culture. But he is still a pale face, and not a member of this tribe, however, I believe he has proven himself trust worthy and I believe we can trust him with this knowledge."

It was then decided that Charlie would be told at the bon-fire that night.

After leaving the Elders, Jacob headed straight for Bella and Paul's house to give them the news.

* * *

As he reached their house, he could hear giggles and grunts coming from inside and the sounds of Kwoli running across the wood floors.

"Bella!" He called out as he knocked on the door

There was a crash and Paul cursed while Bella laughed and told him they would finish later.

"Hello?" Jacob called out knocking on the door again

"Hold your horses Black!" Paul shouted, pulling on his pants as he made his way for the front door

"What do you want?" He growled when he opened the door

Even standing outside, Jacob could tell that the house reeked of sex and that he had no doubt interrupted them. He considered saying 'never mind' and that he'd come back later but decided since he was already there and had already interrupted them, he might as well say what he'd come to say.

"Can I talk to Bella?" He asked

Paul huffed and moved to the side so that Jacob could enter the house.

Bella was just coming down the stairs as Paul shut the door.

That hungry look was still in Paul's eyes and she was hard pressed not to just jump him then and there, even though Jacob was standing right beside him. Paul noticed the hitch of Bella's breath and the fact that her pupils were still blown wide with lust and with a devilish grin he sauntered his way to her.

"Better make it quick Little Swan or this Big Bad Wolf might just bend you over the kitchen table and have his way with you." He growled in her ear

Paul didn't need his wolf senses to know that Bella's panties had just gotten a whole lot wetter at the thought.

He grinned and nipped at her ear, chuckling at the shiver and the moan that escaped her.

"Uh… still here." Jacob said, clearly uncomfortable with what he was witnessing

"Uh.. um, Jake.. Uh.. Hi." Bella blushed slipping out of Paul's grip

Paul watched her lead Jacob into the kitchen with a smile on his face, thinking of how'd soon he'd have her bent over that very same table, begging to be taken.

* * *

"So uh, I talked to the council." Jacob said, trying to ignore the scent of sex that lingered heavily in the air, and that unmistakable scent of arousal that was coming from Bella in waves

"Oh, how'd that go?" She asked, her blush still quite noticeable

"It went fine; Everyone voted in favor of telling Charlie."

"That's great! Oh, I'll have to do something to let them know how much I appreciate this."

"We'll be telling him tonight at the bon-fire."

"Tonight? Ummm, ok. I guess we'll be telling him about the Cullen's too?"

"Mmhmm."

"Ok. Well, thanks so much Jacob. I'll see you tonight ok." Bella said standing from her chair and heading for the door, hoping Jacob would take the hint

And take the hint he did. Jacob knew that any other time, Bella probably would've offered him food or at least a drink, but she was horny and she had an even hornier wolf lurking somewhere around the house waiting to ravish her, so right about now she wanted Jacob out of the house and fast.

"Uh, yea. See you guys tonight." He nodded, barely making it out the door before it was slammed shut

**+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++SEX STARTS HERE++++++++++++++++++++++++++**

Paul had Bella pushed up against the door, his mouth against her neck, sucking and nipping at the skin that was already sensitive and slightly bruised from earlier.

"You smell delicious." He growled as he unfastened her pants and began pulling them down her body

Bella threw her head back into the door as his tongue dove into her wet folds.

Paul teased her and nibbled on her clit, delighting in the sounds she was making, before deciding she'd had enough teasing.

"You mentioned something about a table." She panted as Paul moved back up her body

"Mmm, I did, didn't I?" He grinned

"Mmhmm." She groaned as she reached down to grasp his member only to find him still wearing his shorts.

"Why are you still wearing these?" She asked pulling at the waistband

He shrugged but made quick work of taking them off.

"This better?"

"Mmmm, much." She replied, taking his member in her hand

She set a slow rhythm, knowing that it drove him crazy and usually had him demanding more within minutes.

"Bella." He growled

She grinned but kept her pace slow.

It didn't take long before Paul was picking her up and pushing her against another hard surface, which just so happened to be the kitchen table.

"Hmmm, should I bend you over? Or maybe spread you out? Devour every inch of you until you beg for me to fuck you."

"I don't care, just do something!" She pleaded

"Devour later; right now I just want to fuck you."

He pulled her into a heated kiss and then turned her around so that her back was to his chest. He gently pushed on her back until she took the hint and bent over, elbows resting on the table. When she was in the perfect position, Paul ran his fingers along her folds and then stroked his cock a bit before lining it up at her entrance. He pushed in slowly, not wanting to hurt her, and moaned at how tight she was. It didn't seem to matter that they spent most of the day having sex in various parts of the house; she was still as tight as the first time.

Bella gasped as he slid into her; she didn't think she'd ever get used to how big he was.

The pace started slow, but soon Bella was begging for more.

"Harder!" She moaned

Paul was more than happy to oblige and in a matter of moments, he'd set a frenzied pace. Bella was meeting him thrust for thrust and still begging for more.

Bella moved her arms so that her hands could grip the sides of the table, but as their bodies grew slicker with sweat, it became harder for her to keep her grip on the table and for Paul to keep his grip on her.

He pulled out and then picked Bella up, moving her so that she lay on the table. He grabbed each leg, putting them over his shoulder and then pushed in again.

Their rhythm became sporadic and frantic, each of them so close to the edge but wanting the other to come first.

Unable to stave off his orgasm and with sharp, uncoordinated thrust, Paul was coming.

Bella was plunging into her own sea of orgasm moments later.

**+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++SEX ENDS HERE++++++++++++++++++++++++++**

As Paul came down from his high, he collapsed on top of Bella, trying not to crush her with his weight.

Unfortunately the table just wasn't able to support their weight any longer and it collapsed underneath them. Not expecting that to happen, they stared wide at each other, before bursting into laughter.

"Guess we'll have to get another table." Bella giggled

"Guess so." Paul laughed

* * *

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading and thanks in advance for taking the time to review (assuming of course, that you do).  
**


	46. Chapter 46

Later that night the pack sat around the fire, listening to Billy tell the legends and watching Charlie; waiting for the moment when they would reveal to him that those legends weren't just stories.

Charlie had heard bits and pieces of the legends before, but he'd never heard them in their entirety; he had to admit that they were enthralling and majestic. The idea of men turning into wolves and the idea of the Cold Ones were definitely intriguing and at the same time a bit frightening. It was obvious in the way that Billy spoke, that these legends were important to the Quileute tribe but Charlie wasn't sure why he had been asked to be present for the telling of them, considering the fact that he wasn't a member of the tribe.

After Billy had finished speaking, he gave a slight nod of the head to the boys and they all stood; Jacob, and Sam moved to stand in front of Charlie while the rest of the boys headed off into the nearby forest.

"What's going on?" Charlie asked staring up at Jacob and Sam

"Do you recall when I disappeared for almost an entire month?" Sam asked

Charlie nodded his head, "Yea, I was part of the search party. But then you just showed up one day out of nowhere and Billy never would tell me where you'd been or why you'd disappeared like that."

"The stories you've heard here tonight are more than just stories." Jacob said

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked

"I was in the forest the entire time." Sam said

"Then why didn't we see you?"

"Because no one thought to look for a giant wolf."

Charlie looked confused for a moment and then his eyes widened.

"Wait a minute… Are you telling me that you turned into a wolf?"

Sam nodded his head, "But I'm not the only one."

"Jacob?" Charlie asked

Jacob nodded.

Charlie seemed dumbfounded and then gasped as he saw five extremely large wolves emerging from the forest.

As the wolves drew closer, Jacob and Sam moved aside and Charlie's eyes widened even further when they came to a stop right in front of him.

They had looked rather large from a distance but up close, they were absolutely huge!

He was speechless and his mouth opened and closed several times.

"Charlie?" Jacob called out

Charlie turned his attention to Jacob and covered his eyes and spluttered as Jacob removed his shorts.

"Son, what are you doing? Put your clothes back on."

"Just watch." Billy said

He nodded, and watched as Jacob's body began to shake and then suddenly in Jacob's place stood a wolf slightly larger than the other ones.

"Jacob?" He gasped

The wolf nodded its head and slowly approached the man, not wanting to startle him anymore.

Jacob laid down in front of Charlie and nudged him with his nose.

Charlie stared down at the wolf and then at the other wolves, then moved his gaze to Billy and the three girls.

"This is really happening?" He asked

They all nodded their heads.

"And Bella, you knew about this?"

Bella nodded her head and moved to sit beside her father.

"I was the one who requested you be told about this."

Her dad just stared at her for a minute and then gasped and nearly fell off the log he was seated on.

"The Cold Ones? They're real too?"

"Yes. You've actually met them before." Billy answered

"I've met them?"

"The Cold Ones, are the Cullen's." Bella told him

"The Cullen's? Wait a minute, you dated a vampire?"

Bella gave her father a look that clearly said 'please don't be mad at me' and then gave a small nod.

"Did you know that he was a vampire?"

"I did."

Charlie remained quiet for quite a while and then sighed.

"Well I don't suppose it'll do me any good to be mad about that now."

"So you're ok with this?" Bella asked

"Ok with the fact that you dated a vampire? No, absolutely not."

"I meant are you ok with the fact that your future son-in-law is a wolf."

"I guess so. I mean it's obvious the boy loves you and now I know for sure that he's more than capable of protecting you."

"Oh, thank you Daddy. I was so worried." She cried throwing her arms around his neck

Charlie turned red at the display of emotions, and patted Bella on the back.

"So I have a few questions."

"Boys you go ahead and phase back while I answer Charlie's questions." Billy said

"You said something about imprinting, what exactly is that?"

"Simply put, it's the wolf's way of finding his soul mate. But if you want a more in-depth explanation, why don't you talk to Paul and Bella about that, they can explain it much better than me, I'm sure."

"So Bella is Paul's imprint?"

"I am." Bella said

"Ok. Wow, this is a lot to take in." He sighed, running a hand over his face

By this time the boys had emerged from the forest and re-taken their seats around the fire

"Why don't you take some time to think about it and then maybe you can come over to our house for a Sunday dinner." Bella suggested

"Yea, yea. I think I'll do that." He said standing

"Goodnight Charlie." Billy and the pack echoed

"Night Dad."

"Goodnight." Charlie replied and walked off towards where his cruiser was parked.

"Well that went well." Bella sighed

"If he's coming over for Sunday dinner, we've got to go shopping for a new table tomorrow." Paul whispered in Bella's ear

"I guess we do."

"Well kids, I'm gonna head on home. Jacob you mind helping me get there." Billy said

"No problem Dad. Goodnight guys."

"You ready to head home Bella?" Paul asked

"Uh, in a minute. I want to talk to Kim and Emily first."

"Oh, ok. Well I'll be right here waiting on you."

Bella leaned over and kissed his cheek.

* * *

"Kim, Emily, could I talk to you for a minute." Bella asked

"Sure." They replied

She led them a little ways down from the bon-fire.

"I appreciate that you guys are so willing to help me plan the wedding, but well, I just feel like its not really my wedding you two are planning."

"What do you mean?" Emily asked

"Well, most of the stuff you guys have been suggesting are things that you two like, not what I like. And when I try to tell you what I want, you tend to ignore what I've said or you say 'well, I wouldn't use that for my wedding'. And I don't know how many times I've told you two that I want to have the wedding here on the Rez, but you keep showing me all these venues. I just think it would be better if Paul and I were the ones to plan the wedding."

"So you don't want us to help you plan the wedding anymore?" Kim asked

"Uh, yea." Bella replied nervously

"So does that mean we won't be bridesmaids either?" Kim asked

"I still want you two as my bridesmaids and I'll definitely ask for your input on the bridesmaid dresses, but I think it would be best if Paul and I decided on everything else."

Kim huffed and walked off, back to the bonfire.

"Don't worry about her, I'll talk to her. And you were right, we just got so caught up in the excitement and imagining what it might be like when we would get to plan our own weddings that we kind of forget it was your wedding and not ours." Emily said

"Thank you for being so understanding about this." Bella sighed, pulling Emily into a hug

Emily nodded and the two of them walked back to the fire.

* * *

"Ready?" Paul asked when Bella came to stand before him

"Yea."

"Night guys." They called out

"So Kim came back all huffy, I'm guessing she didn't take the news well." Paul commented as they made their way home

"She didn't really say much, just asked if she was still going to be a bridesmaid. But yea, she didn't seem to like that she wasn't going to be a part of the planning anymore."

"And what about Emily?"

"I think her feelings were a bit hurt, but she took it ok, I guess. She was nice about it, said she understood and that she would talk to Kim."

"They'll get over it I'm sure. Now how about we get some sleep." Paul said as he led her into the house

"Sounds good to me." She yawned

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a review as well.  
**


	47. Chapter 47

**Thanks to everybody who has reviewed/add to favorites/added this story to their list of alerts. And for those of you who may be following my other stories, I have resumed posting chapters for 'Destined for Weird'**.

* * *

By the time Sunday rolled around, Charlie had done a lot of thinking and he had lot of questions he wanted to ask; not all of them having to do with the wolves.

"Hey Dad." Bella said as she opened the door for her father

"Hey Bells. Where's Paul?" He asked

"Upstairs getting dressed."

Charlie nodded his head and followed his daughter into the kitchen.

"You got a new table?" He asked staring at the table that was a little bigger and darker than the previous one

"Uh, yeah." Bella said, keeping her head turned away from her Dad so that he couldn't see the blush forming on her face

"What was wrong with the old one?" He asked

"Wasn't really big enough." Paul answered as he entered the kitchen

"So uh, do you have any questions you'd like to ask?" Bella said, wanting to steer the subject away from the new table

"A few. But they can wait until after dinner." Charlie said

"Ok. Well as soon as the bread's done, we can eat."

"What are we having?" Charlie asked

"Lasagna and garlic bread."

"Mmmm."

Soon the three of them were digging into the food, and Paul had an entire pan of lasagna to himself.

"You boys sure can eat, but I'm guessing that's a wolf thing." Charlie said as he watched his future son-in-law shovel food into his mouth

"Mmhmm." Paul mumbled

Bella just sighed and rolled her eyes, used to Paul's table manners, or lack thereof.

After everyone had their fill and the plates were in the sink, Bella made some coffee for herself and handed beers to Charlie and Paul.

"So, ask away." Bella said

"First I've got some things I want to know about the Cullen's."

"Uh, ok." Bella replied

"Did you find out before or after you started dating that boy, that he and his family were vampires?"

"Before."

"What on earth made you think dating a vampire would be a good idea?"

Bella shrugged, "I don't know. They were mysterious and enchanting and they just kind of drew me in. And I knew that they didn't drink human blood so I figured I'd be ok."

"And when you ran off to Phoenix and got hurt; what really happened?"

"Just skip right past the easy questions, huh Dad." Bella grumbled

Bella began to tell her father what had really taken place that night and what had led her to running away to Phoenix.

Charlie was shocked to learn all that had taken place and that he'd never had any clue about any of it; sure he'd always thought there was something off about Edward, but he never would have guessed he was a vampire. And to think he'd trusted the Cullen family with the safety of his daughter.

"Hmph, at least he did one good thing." Charlie grumbled after Bella had told him about Edward sucking the venom out

"Anything else you'd like to know?" Paul asked

"This imprinting thing; is that the only reason you're with my daughter."

"No sir. Sure it helped get things started, but in the end my being with her isn't about the imprint at all. I love your daughter, more than I ever thought I could love anyone and for some crazy reason she loves me too."

"So if you hadn't imprinted on her, would you still be with her?"

"Honestly, I think we would've found each other eventually."

"And Bella, this imprint thing isn't forcing you to be with him or anything?" Charlie asked

"Not at all; see part of the imprint is that Paul could only be what I wanted him to be. If I'd only wanted friendship, then we would have remained just friends. But over time it evolved into more and here we are, engaged and more than ready to be married."

"Ok. So have you kids decided on a date yet?"

"Uh, actually we haven't. I'd been planning with Emily and Kim but they weren't much help; so Paul and I have just decided to plan it ourselves. I think I'd like a spring or summer wedding though." Bella said

"Your mom and I had a winter wedding; just a few weeks before Christmas. It was snowing something awful that day, we almost didn't make it to the church. And the preacher had pneumonia, he kept sneezing and coughing; I thought we'd never get through the vows."

Bella was surprised that her Dad was talking about this; neither of her parents had ever mentioned anything about their marriage or what it had been like before the divorce. It was just one of those things that went on the 'never talk about it' list.

"Sounds like a disaster. I hope nothing like that happens on our wedding day." Bella replied, starting to imagine all the things that could possibly go wrong

"I don't think you have anything to worry about Bells. You and Paul love each other and you're both ready for this; you're mother and I weren't and I think our disaster of a wedding day was a sign of that, we just didn't pay attention."

"But you two did love each other right?" Bella asked

Paul sensed that the conversation about to be had was one left strictly for daughter and Dad; so with a kiss to Bella's cheek, he scooped up Kwoli and headed outside.

"I loved your mother bout as much as any man could ever love a woman; but your mother, I know she loved me, but she was young and there were so many things she wanted to do and places she wanted to go."

"There's something I've always wondered; why didn't you fight for her to stay?"

"I'm not sure how much you remember of those months before the divorce, but all your mother and I did was fight. After a while I just got tired of fighting, I still loved her and I still wanted to be with her but she wanted something different and no amount of fighting and begging could've made her stay."

"I guess I can understand that, but I really wish you guys could've worked things out."

"So do I; but things happen for a reason Bells."

"Yea I know. Do you ever think about trying to find someone else?"

"Sometimes; but you know me Bells, and I'm not real good with emotions and I think maybe I'm a bit too old now anyway."

"You're not even fifty yet; and you're never too old for love Dad." Bella told him

Charlie just shrugged.

* * *

**A/N: I was a little unsure about this chapter and the convo between Bella and Charlie so please review and let me know what you think.  
**


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N: I'm going to be putting up a poll regarding where Bella & Paul's wedding should take place; I'll leave the poll open for 1wk, maybe even 2 but no more than that.  
**

After her talk with her Dad, Bella started to wonder about her mother and her reasons for leaving Charlie. The love Charlie had for Renée, the kind of love that never seems to die even after your hearts been stomped on, ripped out and shredded... Bella just didn't understand how her mother could've walked away from that. She wanted so badly to call her mother and ask her what had happened; why she'd changed her mind but she wasn't sure she should.

* * *

Paul had watched Bella for days after the talk with her father and he knew Bella still had a lot of unanswered questions.

"Why don't you just call her?" Paul asked Bella, when he walked into the living room to find her laying on the couch and staring at her phone

"Who?" She asked looking up at him

"Your mother." He said as he sat on the coffee table in front of the couch

"How did you know I was thinking about calling her?" She asked

"I heard a little bit of what you and your Dad talked about the other day and I've seen you staring at the picture of your mom that you keep on your side of the bed."

"I just have all these questions but I'm afraid she won't be willing to answer them." She frowned

"Maybe she'll tell you what you want to know and maybe she won't but you're not going to find out by just staring at your phone."

"You're right." Bella sighed

Paul nodded his head and leaned in to give her a kiss.

"I've got to head out for patrol, I love you."

"Love you too."

"Call her." He shouted as he walked out the door

Bella sighed and dialed her mother's number.

* * *

"_Hello?"_

"_Hi, mom. How are you?"_

"_Oh, hi Bella. I'm wonderful. How are you?"_

"_I'm good. Do you have time to talk?"_

"_I sure do. What's up?"_

"_Well, um, it's about you and Dad."_

"_Me and Charlie?"_

"_Yea. We were talking the other day and he was telling me about your wedding day and some other things and I guess I was just wondering why you've never told me about it."_

"_I don't know, Bella; it was just such a dreary day and nothing like the fairytale ever girl imagines."_

"_But you were happy right; so in love that you just couldn't wait to be married?"_

"_Of course honey."_

"_Then why wouldn't you tell me that?"_

"_Why are you so upset that I never told you about my wedding day?"_

"_It's not just that Mom. I've spent my entire life believing that getting married to Dad was one of the biggest regrets of your life and that the two of you just didn't love each another to stay together."_

Renée was beyond surprised at the direction this conversation had taken; she'd thought maybe Bella was nervous about her own wedding and was just calling to find out if her mom had been this nervous when she'd married Charlie or Phil.

"_What? Why would you think that?"_

"_Because you never talk about what it was like being married or how happy you were with Dad or how much you loved him. It was always about how you couldn't wait to get out of Forks and how happy you were not to be stuck in this frumpy little town."_

"_I did love your Dad, sweetie, and I was happy with him for a while."_

"_But what changed? Did you just wake up one day and decide you didn't love him anymore? That the life you'd two had started building together just wasn't enough anymore?"_

"_It's complicated."_

"_Well, try to explain it to me please."_

"_I was so young; barely eighteen and I'd fallen head over heels for your father. I'd dreamed about our wedding day and what life with him would be like; but reality was so different. We were married and within a year I was pregnant with you; it was all happening so fast and I was overjoyed about becoming a mother, but I was still young and there was still so much I didn't know and so much I wanted to do."_

"_So you just gave up and left?"_

"_I wasn't happy and your father and I were always fighting. I wanted to live somewhere besides Forks, but it was his home and he didn't want to leave; he was happy where he was but I wasn't. I didn't know what else to do and rather than make us all miserable I thought it'd be better if Charlie and I got a divorce."_

"_I love you Mom and I don't mean to hurt your feelings when I say this; but you were incredibly selfish. Do you have any idea what your leaving did him? Do you know that he's never stopped loving you and probably never will? Why did it have to be all about you and all about what you wanted? I thought part of being married was learning to compromise and work through the hard times, not just give up and throw in the towel."_

Renée felt absolutely awful. She knew that Bella was right and boy was that something ….. having your 18 year old daughter shove your mistakes in your face; making you take a good long look at what you'd done and who'd you been.

"_I don't know what you want me to say, Bella."_

"_I guess I just wanted to know why it was you left? But I have another question though, why'd you take me with you?"_

"_Because you're my daughter and there was no way I could've left you behind."_

"_I get that you thought you were doing what was best, but I'm his daughter too; didn't you think about what the both of us leaving might do to him?"_

There was silence for a moment as Renée thought over what Bella had said.

Back then she'd always assumed she'd done the right thing in taking Bella with her because a girl needs her mother but she also needs her father too and maybe she'd been wrong to just leave Charlie the way she had, without really discussing any sort of arrangement. Bella had missed out on that father/daughter relationship that every little girl should have; spending summers and occasional Christmas's wasn't enough to really establish a bond, at least not a lasting one.

"_Honestly, sweetie, I didn't think much about it. I knew it would hurt him but I just needed to leave and I never thought of what it might be like for him after we both left."_

"_It was a lose-lose situation, so I guess I can't really blame you or be mad about the way things went. It's just that it wasn't easy coming to spend summers here and then having to leave knowing it might be a whole year before I got to see Dad again."_

"_Why didn't you say anything? I just assumed you were fine with the way things were."_

"_I was a kid Mom; I thought that if I told you I wanted to spend more time with Dad, you might be upset or hurt."_

At this point Renée had started to sob.

"_Oh gosh! I was a terrible mother." She wailed_

"_Oh Mom, don't cry; I didn't mean to make you cry. And you weren't a terrible mother, not at all!"_

"_But I was! I took my daughter away from her father and I only let her spend two months out of the year with him."_

Bella groaned; it'd been a while since she'd had to deal with an emotional Renée and she was a little out of practice.

"_You were a great mother. Sure you weren't perfect but no one is; and I turned out just fine so obviously you did something right."_

Renée continued to sob and mumble about what an awful mother she was and all the things she should've done differently. And Bella kept trying to reassure her with little success.

Her mother's ramblings became quieter and a new voice spoke into the phone.

"_Uh, Bella?"_

"_Phil?"_

"_Yea, umm. Renée's a bit of mess right now, maybe you should call back later."_

"_Umm, ok. Will you tell her that I love her and that I'm sorry I made her cry, I really didn't mean to."_

"_Sure."_

"_Oh, and will you tell her that I want to go dress shopping soon and I'd really like if she could come with me."_

"_Will do."_

"_Ok. Thanks Phil."_

"_You're welcome."_

* * *

Bella sighed as she flopped back onto the couch. She was happy that she'd gotten her answers but she couldn't really say she felt any better than she had before she'd gotten them. She'd grown closer to Charlie in the last year or so and she just didn't understand how her mother could've have just left him like she did. Charlie wasn't great at saying how he felt, but he managed every now and then, and there were the small things he did to show what he couldn't say. He was a wonderful man and Bella hated to think of how hurt he might've been all these years.

She really hadn't meant to upset her mother or make her cry, but she'd needed to know why her mother had left in the first place. Bella had never been under the illusion that either of her parents were perfect, but she had never expected her mother to have such selfish reasons for leaving. She knew she couldn't really judge her mother because of the choices she'd made, but she wished that maybe she'd made a different choice or at least thought more about the ones she'd made. Then again, who was Bella to talk about decisions made and making better ones, just look at the choices she'd made when it came to Edward and the rest of the Cullen's.

* * *

"Hey."

Bella nearly jumped off the couch, she was so startled.

"Paul? When did you get back?" She frowned, staring up at him

"A few minutes ago; you must've been doing some serious thinking, you didn't even hear me come in."

"Yea."

"So you called your mom?" He asked sitting down beside her and pulling her into his side

"Mmhmm."

"How'd that go?"

"Well I got my answers."

"But I'm guessing it didn't really help you any."

"I just feel so bad for Dad and I guess I wish things had been different." She sighed

"But if things had been different, you wouldn't be the person you are now."

"And I might not be where I am either … and that would be bad because I kinda like where I am." Bella smiled, turning her head so that she was looking up at him

"Kinda?" Paul grinned as he leaned into kiss her

Once the kiss was over, Bella grinned and said "Ok, so I love where I am and I love who I'm with, even more."

"Care to show me just how much?" Paul asked, wiggling his eyebrows

Bella laughed and ran for the stairs with Paul right behind her.

* * *

**A/N: The conversation with Renee wasn't even going to happen originally but then it just kind of popped into my head and I thought "eh, why not."... With that being said, please review and let me know what you thought about it; was Bella too harsh? Were there questions that should've been asked that weren't? etc... **


	49. Chapter 49

**A/N: Thanks so much to those who have read and reviewed, you guys are beyond awesome.**

It had been weeks since Bella had the talk with her mother, and she hadn't heard from her since; she'd tried calling but her calls always went straight to voice mail and eventually Bella just stopped calling. If her mother wanted to behave childishly, then Bella was going to let her; she'd spent her entire life catering to Renée and acting the part of grown-up because her mother wouldn't, but she was done with that now. Renée could play the part of victim all she wanted but Bella knew who the real victim in all of this had been and it certainly wasn't her mother.

* * *

Bella had already called up Angela to set up a day for dress shopping and she then called her mother and left a message letting her know what day they would be going and where. If Renée decided to show up, that was great, if she didn't, well Bella wasn't going to cry about it; she wasn't about to let her mother ruin this for her and turn it into another _"it's all about Renée" _moment.

Paul had been such a big help with the wedding planning and Bella was so glad that he completely understood that she wanted it to be simple; she didn't want a ton of decorations and flowers or fancy foods either. Neither one of them had really seen the point in sending out invitations seeing as how everyone aside from Renée and Phil lived right there in Forks or La Push; but Bella knew that she needed to at least send one to her mother, that way she couldn't possibly use the excuse of not knowing when and where it would be, should she choose not to come.

"So do we have an official guest list?" Bella asked as her and Paul set at their dining room table, going over last minute wedding stuff

"Mmhmm."

"You mind giving me names, so I can make sure we haven't missed anyone."

"Ok. We've got: Jared and his parents, Sam, Jacob, Seth, Quil and his parents, Embry and his mom, Claire and her parents, Emily, Kim and her parents, Harry, Sue, Leah, Billy, Old Quil, Charlie, Angela, Ben, Renée, and Phil."

"Sounds right; and we've got Angela for my maid of honor, Kim and Emily for bridesmaids. Jared will be your best man and will the entire pack be groomsman?"

"It seems kind of odd to have more groomsman than bridesmaids, so I think I'll just have Jacob and Sam as groomsman."

"Alrighty, and of course Claire will be the flower girl. Do you think we could have Chubby and Kwoli be ring bearers?"

"You want the dogs to be ring bearers?" He asked trying to picture how that would even work

"Well I don't want them to feel left out." She pouted

"Bella, their dogs, they won't care." Paul laughed

"Fine…. I guess we could just have the best man and maid of honor hold onto the rings for us."

Paul nodded, "Now we just have to figure out where to have this thing."

"I was kind of thinking we could have it in the forest."

"Why would you want to have your wedding in a forest?"

"So many important moments in my life have taken place in the forest; I feel it's only right that this one take place there as well."

Paul looked at her like she'd gone a little crazy.

"It's just that a lot of bad things have happened to me in the forest and I'd just kind of like to have at least one good thing happen there."

"Well when you put it that way, it doesn't sound so crazy. I'll have to see if I can find a spot that's clear and close enough so that there won't be a ton of walking and people won't get lost; but if we can't have it in the forest, where else would you like to have it?"

"The beach I guess." She shrugged

"Ok, and as far as food and the cake goes?"

"Well I was kind of hoping we might be able to talk Sue into making the cake for us?"

"I'm sure she'd loved to, we can go over and ask her later. What about food?"

"Maybe just some grilled stuff."

"Ok. Now, do you want the guys to wear tuxes or what?"

"Not really; nice slacks and a button up should be fine, but let's wait until I've got a dress picked out before we go planning what everyone else should wear."

"Well then, I guess we're done for now; let's go talk to Sue about the cake."

* * *

Sue as it turned out was more than happy to make the cake for them and she'd even offered to do it free of charge but neither Paul nor Bella would hear of that; she'd be making a cake big enough to feed a pack of wolves and then some and they didn't feel right not paying her for such hard work.

While they were there talking to Sue about what they wanted for the cake, Bella noticed Sue's daughter lounging in the living room. Bella excused herself to go the bathroom and on the way back she stopped by the living room to say hi.

"Hi, you're Leah right?" She asked sitting down beside her

The girl nodded but didn't turn to look at Bella.

"Well I'm Bella, Paul's fiancé."

"I know who you are." Leah grumbled

"Oh. Will we see you at the wedding?"

"Are the scum bag and that traitorous bitch going to be there?"

It didn't take a genius to figure out who Leah was referring to.

"Sam is one of the groomsmen and Emily is a bridesmaid."

"Then I think I'll pass." She scowled

Bella knew that underneath that anger, was a lonely and heartbroken girl and she felt so sorry for her; not so long ago Bella had been that girl, nursing a broken heart and wondering what she'd done to deserve it, and she'd managed to pull herself out that dark hole all on her own but she certainly wished there had been someone there who understood and could've helped her through it.

"I know that you feel like they betrayed you but sometimes, Leah, things happen that are out of our control and no matter how much we wish to change them we can't."

"You don't know anything." She frowned

"I know that right now you're hurting and you just want to understand; you want to know what happened and why… but you know what? Sometimes it's better not to know, because finding out the truth doesn't really make it hurt any less, and it most certainly doesn't change what happened."

"Like I said Swan, you don't know anything." She growled

"You're not the first girl who's had her heart broken and you won't be the last either. So take a little advice from a girl who's been down that road, eventually you're going to have to move on. It won't be easy and it'll hurt like hell, but in the end you'll be stronger for it and you just might find someone who will make you happier and love you more than Sam ever could."

Leah didn't say anything, but Bella could see that tears were welling up in her eyes and she figured she'd said enough.

Bella returned to the kitchen to find that Sue and Paul had finished with the cake details and now they were just talking.

"So Paul tells me that you two haven't decided on a date yet." Sue said offering Bella a cup of coffee as she sat down

Bella took the coffee with a smile and replied, "I was kind of wanting a spring or summer wedding, but honestly I'm just so ready to be married I'd have the wedding tomorrow if I could."

"Well we have most of the details ironed out, there's no reason we couldn't have the wedding sooner if you really wanted to." Paul said

"But if we do it sooner than we won't be able to have an outdoor wedding." Bella frowned

Paul shook his head, "Well if we had the wedding within the next couple of weeks, then I don't see why we couldn't still have an outdoor wedding."

"Seriously?" She grinned

"Yea. I mean you're going with Angela next week to look at dresses, so if you found one you really liked, than I'm pretty sure we could be married before September's out." Paul shrugged

Bella almost squealed with excitement at the prospect of being Mrs. Meraz before the end of September.

"Ok, well if we're going to push the wedding up, then I need to get an invitation made up and sent to mom no later than Friday."

"Well let's get to it." He grinned

Bella grinned in return and the two of them stood, promising Sue to let her know the official date as soon as they figured it out.

Sue smiled as she watched them practically run out the door; she hadn't been so sure about the two of them in the beginning and just like everybody else who was in on the wolf/imprint secret, she'd thought the Great Spirits and Taha Aki had been crazy. But looking at them now, she wasn't sure she could find a pair more in love if she tried.

* * *

**A/N: We might see a bit of more of Leah before this story is over but I'll go ahead and inform you that Jacob will not be imprinting on her... that would just be too easy and predictable. Well, as always reviews are very much appreciated. **


	50. Chapter 50

**A/N: The poll regarding where the wedding should take place, will be closed on Wednesday (9/13/11) so if you haven't voted please do so.  
**

The Friday after Bella had sent the wedding invitation off to her mother, she received a call from Phil.

* * *

"_Hello?"_

"_Hey Bella, it's Phil."_

"_Hi Phil, is everything ok?"_

"_Uh, yea. We got the invitation to your wedding and ummm, your mom wanted me to call and let you know she might not be able to make it."_

"_What? What do you mean she might not be able to make it?" _

"_I'm only the messenger Bella; maybe you should talk to Renée about this."_

"_I've been trying to talk to that woman for weeks now! Is she there with you?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Give her the phone please."_

"_Ok."_

Bella could hear parts of a whispered conversation and from the bits and pieces she heard, she gathered that her mother didn't want to speak to her.

"_Hi Bella, I'm a little busy right now so I don't have much time to talk."_

"_Why aren't you coming to my wedding?"_

"_I didn't say I wasn't coming."_

"_But you said you might not be able to make it which basically means that you won't be there."_

"_I'll try to make it Bella but I won't make any promises."_

Bella huffed and tried to compose herself, refusing to shed any tears because of this poor excuse for a mother.

"_Why do you have to be like this? Why does everything have to be about you all the time? This is one of the most important days of my life and you can't be bothered to grow up and show up, so you know what? Just forget about it…. Consider yourself uninvited."_

"_What? You can't tell me not to come to your wedding!" Renée shrieked _

"_I can and I just did. Goodbye Renée."_

"_Wait, don't you hang up on me!" Renée shouted _

"_I have nothing left to say to you." Bella sighed_

"_What about dress shopping, don't you need me there for that?"_

Bella pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. Was her mother completely crazy? She'd already said she might not be coming to the wedding, which really meant that she definitely wasn't coming, and now she was talking about going dress shopping…. the woman had clearly lost her mind. So rather than play into whatever game Renée was trying to play, she decided to just hang up.

A second later her phone began to ring and she looked at it to see it was her mother.

"So now you want to talk to me." Bella scoffed as she pressed ignore

* * *

A few minutes later Paul came in from patrol to find Bella with her forehead pressed against the table and her cell phone laying there with the battery out.

"Bella?"

"Hmmm?" She asked raising her head to look at him

"You ok?" He asked

"Just peachy." She grumbled

"Uh-huh…. Something wrong with your phone?" He asked picking it up to put the battery back in, only to have Bella snatch it from him

Paul looked at her like she'd gone a little crazy.

"She won't stop calling."

"Who?" Paul asked taking the seat next to Bella

"Renée."

"I thought you wanted her to call you." He said, feeling confused

"She had Phil call to tell me that she might not be able to make it to the wedding; then when I had Phil give her the phone, she behaved in typical Renée fashion so I told her she was no longer invited to the wedding. Then she proceeded to ask me about dress shopping and I hung up. She's been calling every since, which is why I took the battery out of the phone."

"Ok, you do realize you could have just turned the phone off?" Paul commented as he turned Bella's chair so that she was facing him

Bella just glared at him, which he paid no attention to.

"As for your mother, are you sure you don't want her to come to the wedding?"

"Yes. She'll find some way to make it all about her and ruin our day. I want that day to be special and all about us; I don't want to have to worry about what that woman is up to."

"But aren't you worried that she might just show up anyway?"

Bella shook her head, "No. I know how her mind works. I uninvited her so I can guarantee that she won't show up, not that she planned to anyway. But she expects me to regret it and to call her crying about how sorry I am and how much I really wished she'd been there and that I never should have uninvited her. Then she'll be expecting me to beg for forgiveness. I imagine she'll be highly disappointed when none of that happens."

Paul stared at her and wondered how it was possible that this sweet, kind, unbelievably loving and unselfish woman had come from such a bitch; he concluded that Bella must have taken after Charlie.

"We're never letting that woman anywhere near our kids."

"No worries there…. she wasn't there for me so I doubt she'll have any interest in being there for her grandkids."

Paul stood and pulled Bella up with him; she settled her arms around his waist and her head on his chest.

"I hope you know that there's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here with you." She sighed

"And I hope you know I feel the same." He replied

She nodded her head against his chest.

The two of them just stood there for a while, content to hold each other and in the knowledge that no matter what, they at least had each other.

"Can we order pizza and go to Dad's?" Bella asked lifting her head to look at Paul

"Let's call to make sure he's not busy first."

"Ok, but use your phone or the house phone, I'm not turning mine back on."

Paul nodded and grabbed the house phone.

"I'm gonna go take a shower real quick." Bella said

"Ok."

* * *

"_Hello?"_

"_Hey Charlie, are you busy?"_

"_No, why?"_

"_Bella and I were thinking of ordering a couple pizzas and heading your way."_

"_Sounds good to me. Has Bella heard from her mother yet?" _

"_Yea….."_

"_I'm guessing it didn't go so well."_

"_Pretty much."_

_Charlie sighed, "Alright, I'll see you two when you get here."_

The two hung up and Paul headed upstairs for a quick shower as well.

After they were both showered and dressed, they left to pick up the pizza and head to Charlie's.

* * *

When they got there, Charlie opened the door for them and Bella walked right into his arms. Charlie hadn't been expecting this but he wrapped his arms around her and laid his head on top of hers. A few seconds later and he could feel his shirt growing damp and he silently cursed Renée for hurting his baby girl.

Paul gave a nod to Charlie and went straight to the kitchen; as much as he loved Bella and wanted to be the one to comfort her, he understood that right now she needed her Dad.

As Charlie stood there, holding Bella and letting her soak his shirt with her tears, he wondered how many times over the years his little girl had needed him there to comfort her because of Renée's actions; how many times she'd needed to be wrapped up in his arms and told that everything would be ok. Now, more than ever, he wished that he'd fought for Bella to stay with him.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading and feel free to review.**


	51. Chapter 51

The next Friday, Bella, Emily and Kim met up with Angela in Seattle to go dress shopping; it took two stores and seven dresses before Bella found the perfect one. She stood there looking at herself in the mirror and couldn't believe that at one point in time she'd sworn to never get married …. But now here she was, happier than ever and more than ready to marry Paul.

"You look gorgeous!" Angela smiled

"Absolutely breathtaking; Paul won't know what to do with himself when he sees you in this." Emily told her

"You do look very pretty Bella." Kim said

"Thank you girls," Bella smiled "Now let's go find you girls some dresses."

Finding dresses for the girls was much easier and Bella was glad that she'd taken Claire dress shopping earlier in the week, so that was one less thing she had to worry about. Bella smiled fondly as she remembered how happy Claire had been as she tried on dresses.

_-Flashback-_

"_This is so much fun Belly! I feel like a pwincess!"_

"_That's because you are a princess Claire-Bear; the prettiest princess there ever was." Bella had told her_

_The girl had beamed at that and then squealed when she'd spotted, what she'd deemed the most princessy dress ever!_

"_This is the best day ever!" Claire squealed as she twirled around _

_The little girl's excitement was so contagious and Bella had no choice but to get her the dress; although if it hadn't been for Phil, Bella probably wouldn't have been able to afford the dress._

_Phil had felt so terrible about the way Renée had treated Bella and he was having a hard time reconciling the Renée he'd been seeing lately with the Renée he'd fell in love with. Even though he hadn't spent a lot of time with Bella he still cared for her, so he'd sent her a check and a letter apologizing for Renée's behavior._

_Bella had been surprised and had called to tell him the check wasn't necessary and that she couldn't possibly accept it; she'd also told him that the only person, who'd needed to apologize for Renée's behavior, was Renée herself. Phil had replied by saying "If it will make you feel better about accepting the money, think of it as an early wedding present."_

_-End of Flashback-  
_

After they were done shopping, the girls decided to get something to eat before going home. During dinner, Angela told Bella that she and Ben were taking a break but that he would still be at the wedding. She explained that they'd both changed since starting college and neither of them was sure that being together was the right thing for them at this point, so now they were taking time to reevaluate some things, their relationship being the main thing.

The conversation then turned to Kim and Emily and how things were going with Sam and Jared. Emily said that things were going well but that she did wonder if Sam would ever be ready to marry her. Bella suspected that a part of Sam was still holding onto Leah and his love for her and until he let that go, he wouldn't be ready to marry Emily; of course she kept her thoughts to herself and tried to assure Emily that it would happen, she just had to be patient. Kim on the other hand, was quick to express her anger over Jared having not proposed to her yet.

"I'm beginning to wonder if he even wants to marry me. At first he would at least talk with me about it and explain why he wasn't ready for marriage but now he practically runs every time I mention it." She grumbled

The conversation lulled as their food arrived and they all decided to continue it after dinner was over.

"Marriage is a big step Kim and maybe Jared just wants to be absolutely sure that the two of you are ready for it." Bella told her as they all gathered their things and headed for their cars

"What I don't understand is how Jared and I have been together longer than you and Paul but you and Paul are the first ones getting married. I figured Sam and Emily would be the first to get married and then it would be me and Jared, but things are totally backwards. I'd just like to know what made you and Paul so sure that you were ready to be married, when neither Sam or Jared have the balls to do it themselves."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Angela said "but I've got a test on Monday that I really need to get back and study for."

"Ok, Ange. Thank you so much for being here today."

"What are best friends for, huh?" Angela smiled as she hugged Bella

"I guess I'll see you at the wedding." Bella said as they separated

"Yep. I should be able to make it down here the day before to help with any last minute things."

"That would be great."

"It was nice meeting you Kim and Emily." Angela said smiling at them both

Emily and Kim replied with "It was nice meeting you too Angela."

They said their goodbyes and Angela climbed into her car as the other three climbed into Bella's.

* * *

As they began the drive home, Bella began to answer Kim's question.

"I don't think how long you've been together has anything to do with it Kim. The difference between your relationship with Jared and mine with Paul is that you guys just sort of jumped right in once Jared had imprinted, but with Paul and me it wasn't like that; in fact, I didn't even know about the imprint until a few weeks after it happened. And at the time neither Paul nor I were really ready for a romantic relationship with each other so we took our time and got to know each other. We built a strong friendship and let that be the foundation for or relationship, which I think helped a lot."

"So you're saying that Jared and I should have started off friends and then worked our way to boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"I think it might have helped if you had." Bella shrugged

"But I'm his imprint and we're meant for each other so why should we have waited our time being just friend when we knew we were meant for more?"

"The imprint pointed you out to him and let him know that you would be his perfect match but the thing is you still have to work at making the relationship work."

"I guess." Kim mumbled

The rest of the ride home was silent as Kim thought about what Bella had said. Emily didn't feel the need to ask Bella her opinion on why Sam hadn't at least proposed yet; she'd sort of figured it out on her own.

It was rather late by the time the girls got back to La Push and they were all ready to just fall into bed.

* * *

"Have fun today?" Paul asked Bella she crawled into bed

"Mmhmm."

"Find a dress?"

"Yep, it's absolutely perfect." She sighed snuggling up against him

"Can't wait to see you in it." He replied, pulling her closer

"Can't wait for you to see me in it; what did you do today?"

"Claire and Quil stopped by. Claire kept going on and on about the dress you got her."

Bella smiled, "She looked like a little princess."

"An evil little princess maybe; she roped me and Quil into playing dress up and having a tea party with her and her dolls."

Bella laughed tiredly, "Just wait till we have a little girl."

Paul groaned at the thought.


	52. Chapter 52

Sunday night Bella went about getting together the guys measurements so that she could go shopping for their clothes on Monday; she would have preferred that they be there to try them on but getting them all together at one time on a Monday, was hard to manage and none of them were too keen on the idea of shopping.

Over the weekend her and Paul had debated over whether or not he needed to wear a tux and Bella told him that he didn't have to if he didn't want to, but Paul suspected Bella would really like to see him in one; so instead of giving her a yes or no to the tux, Paul told her not to worry about and that he would take care of it. Of course this freaked Bella out a bit and she worried that he'd end up not having anything to wear to the wedding. During her freak out she mentioned something about him showing up naked and Paul laughed and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm not going to show up naked, ok; I don't think anyone, besides you, really wants to see that." He smiled as he ran a thumb across her bottom lip

Bella immediately relaxed in his embrace, and allowed him to soothe her worries.

"Ok… So did you find a clear enough spot for the wedding?"

"Mmhmm….. I have patrol on Tuesday so I can just take you with me and show you the spot."

"I can't believe that by this time next week, we'll be husband and wife." She sighed

"You think married sex is better?" He asked

Bella laughed and shook her head, "I don't know, guess we'll find out though."

* * *

After her classes were done with on Monday, Bella headed to a shop she'd spotted a few weeks ago and start looking through their selection.

"Can I help you?" An elderly man said as he walked up behind Bella

Bella jumped and turned around.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." The man said

"It's ok." She smiled

"Do you need some help, Miss?" He asked her

"Call me Bella please and yes I definitely need help Mr….?" She said as she proceeded to pull out the folder she'd brought with her

"Just call me Elijah." He smiled

There were pictures of the bridesmaids in their bridesmaid dresses and she informed the man that she was looking for button-ups as close to that color as possible. While he helped her look for the right colored shirt, she explained that the guys would be wearing vest but no jacket and showed him a picture of some styles she'd seen online during her wedding research.

"So when is the wedding?" He asked as he scanned the list of sizes she'd handed him.

"This Saturday actually; It was originally supposed to be next year sometime but neither of us could wait that long." She explained

"My late wife and I were the same way." He sighed wistfully as if recalling old memories

"How long were you two married?"

"Fifty years."

"Wow, that's a long time!"

"Best fifty years of my life." He smiled

The two talked a bit more about the wedding as he helped her find everything she needed. Once everything was gathered, Elijah handed the things over to the clerk and informed Bella that if anything needed to be altered to just bring it back and he'd be more than happy to take care of it for her; she thanked him and paid for the clothes.

After she was done, she headed back to La Push and called Jared, Jacob and Sam to come over as soon as possible so that they could try on their clothes.

* * *

Jacob was the first to show up and was a bit skeptical about the color choice, but Bella explained that with their skin tone, purple was a perfect color.

"You look really handsome Jake." Bella smiled as he walked into the living room

Jacob smiled and tried not to think about how he wished he was the groom and not a groomsman.

"I kind of like it." He shrugged

Bella motioned for him to spin around and she inspected him critically to make sure everything fit the way it should.

"It looks like it fits ok; does it feel ok?" She asked biting her lip

"Yep."

"Great! Well go ahead and take it off and I'll make you something to eat if you're hungry."

As Jacob headed back upstairs to change clothes, there was a knock at the door and Bella turned to see both Sam and Jared standing there.

"You guys must have sensed that I was about to cook." She said as she opened the door and let them in

They both shrugged.

"Clothes are upstairs in the guest room; there are labels on the bags so you know whose is whose."

Sam and Jared were both pleased to see that there was only a vest and no jacket; with their body temperatures, they worried about how hot they'd be stuffed into a full tux.

Bella had moved to the kitchen to start preparing dinner and as she turned to go the fridge she saw Sam and Jared out of the corner of her eye as they entered the kitchen.

"Wait till Kim and Emily see you two in this; they won't know what to do with themselves." She grinned as she moved to inspect them

It wasn't exactly a perfect fit, but it fit well enough that Bella felt she didn't need to bother with taking them back for alterations.

"Alright; go take those off and you guys are more than welcome to stay for dinner."

They nodded and headed back upstairs to change.

Paul arrived home just as Bella was setting the table for dinner.

"Something smells good." He said as he hung up his gun belt

Bella turned and smiled, trying not to drool at the sight of him in his uniform.

"How was work?" She asked as Paul pulled her into his arm

"Boring. Did you find what you were looking for today?"

"Yep, I'll give you the name of the shop I went to just in case you've decided on a tux."

He nodded and then kissed her softly before taking her hand and leading her to the table.

* * *

Paul didn't have to work the next day, so he decided to head up to Port Angeles and check out the shop Bella had told him about.

"Hey there, can I help you with something?" A man said as Paul entered the store

"Yea, I'm looking for a tux."

"Wedding?" He asked

Paul nodded

"Alright; anything particular you got in mind?"

As Paul went to explain, Elijah came out of the back room and spotted him.

"You wouldn't happen to be Paul would you?" He asked

"Huh, yea. How'd you know?" Paul asked with a frown

"Your fiancé Bella, was in here yesterday, said you might be stopping by." He explained

"Oh. So I take it you're, Elijah?"

"Yep; if you'll come with me, I'll show you the tux she was eyeballing yesterday."

Paul nodded and followed after the old man.

"You've got a real special young lady." Elijah said as he began pulling the tux for Paul to try on

"Yes sir I do; still trying to figure out how I got so lucky though."

Elijah laughed and smiled, "I spent fifty years wondering the same thing; I never did figure it out though."

Paul followed him to the dressing room and tried on the tux.

A few minutes later he stepped out and Elijah called for his assistant. The assistant began pulling and pinning areas that needed to be altered.

There wasn't much that needed to be altered and Elijah assured Paul that his tux would be ready for pickup no later than Friday morning and that they would call him when it was ready to be picked up.

Paul left the store and headed home to Bella; Bella of course asked if he'd found anything to which he replied, 'yes' but didn't tell her what he'd found or where he'd found it, much to Bella's frustration.

After a quick lunch, Paul led Bella to the clearing he'd found for their wedding. The spot wasn't far from their house, and it was every bit as beautiful and magical as Bella had hoped it might be.

"I'll get the guys to help wear the path down a little more so that it's easier for people to make the trek." Paul explained as Bella looked around

They spent about a half hour there, mapping out where they would stand, where the guest would sit and other minor details.

"It's going to be perfect." Bella smiled as her and Paul made their way back home

* * *

Thursday, Elijah called and told Paul his tux was ready to be picked up. Luckily for Paul, he wasn't really needed at work and Charlie told him he could leave earlier to go pick up his tux.

When he arrived at the shop, he was made to try on the tux one last time just to make sure the alterations had been done correctly.

"What do you think?" Elijah asked him

"Fits perfect." He said eying himself in the mirror

Elijah grinned and told him he could change and meet him at the register.

As Paul paid for the tux Elijah decided to offer a bit of advice.

"It took me a good ten years before I figured out that even when she was wrong, she was right. Now I know that probably don't make any sense to you, but just trust me on this."

Paul agreed that it didn't make much sense but he nodded anyway.

"Tell her that you love her every single day, even on those days when she makes you so mad you think strangling her might not be such a bad idea, lord knows I had enough of those days with my Sadie; most stubborn woman I ever knew." Elijah laughed

"Thank you, sir." Paul said

"Oh, and remember to stuff a few tissues in your pockets on Saturday."

"Tissues?" Paul asked

"You might like to think you're some big tough, macho man but come your wedding day when you see her walking down that aisle….. You'll have tears running down your cheeks before you ever even realize they were gathering. And your bride's gonna need a few tissues herself."

Paul nodded and with another, thank you and a wave he was out of the shop and headed home.

He ended up taking his suit to Sam's house and hiding it there because he wanted Bella to be surprised when she came walking down the aisle on her wedding day and saw him in that tux. He stayed and talked with Sam for a bit before deciding to head on home and spend some time with Bella.

* * *

**A/N: As always, please review and let me know what you think. I should have the next (and possibly final) chapter up by Friday (9/23/11) or Saturday (9/24/11).**


	53. Chapter 53

On Saturday, Bella woke up to find herself alone in bed and she frowned as she got up and made her way to the bathroom. When she entered the bathroom, she noticed a sticky note on the mirror and she pulled it off to read it.

_TODAYS THE DAY!_

_I've gone to get stuff set up and then I'll go to Sam's to get ready._

_The girls will be here 10 to help you get ready._

_See you in the forest 3 (remember not to trip )_

_Can't wait till I get to call you Mrs. Meraz_

_Love you_

Bella smiled and stuck the note back on the mirror.

"I'm getting married today!" She squealed and then proceeded to do a happy dance only to wind up tripping on the rug and almost falling

After her near fall, she realized she only had about fifteen minutes before the girls would be there so she needed to hop in the shower.

Twenty minutes later and she was just stepping out of the shower as the doorbell rang; she threw on her bathrobe and made her way down stairs.

* * *

"Hey, guys come on in." Bella said when she opened the door to see Emily, Angela and Kim

"I figured you probably hadn't eaten yet and you wouldn't want anything really heavy, so I brought some muffins." Emily said as she showed Bella the basket of muffins

"Thanks a bunch Emily." Bella smiled

"Alright we've got four and a half hours till we have to be at the clearing…. Let's get started!" Angela said as she began piling stuff on the kitchen table

Bella nibbled on a muffin while the girls got everything set up.

"So I'll do your hair while Emily does Kim's and then we'll switch ok?" Angela said

"Ok."

"Are you nervous?" Kim asked as she took her seat next to Bella

"There's a few butterflies but I think that's mostly from excitement." Bella shrugged

Just as Angela was about to start on Bella's hair, there was a knock at the door.

Bella wasn't expecting anyone else so she frowned and made her way to the door; she was surprised to find that it was Sue.

"Morning Bella, Charlie mentioned that your Mom wouldn't be able to make it today and so I thought you girls might need an extra set of hands to get ready." Sue said

Bella's eyes watered up at this and she pulled Sue into a hug,

"Thank you so much Sue."

Sue gave her a gentle squeeze and wiped her tears away, "You're very welcome sweetie; now I hope you've gotten waterproof mascara for today because there will be plenty more tears before this day is out."

Bella laughed and led Sue into the kitchen. Sue quickly set about getting the make-up organized and then she helped both Emily and Angela with doing Kim and Bella's hair; she offered advice here and there on what might look better but left it up to the girls to decide. After Kim and Bella's hair was done, Sue offered to do Angela's so that Bella could just sit and relax. While she worked on Angela's hair, Sue told stories about what her wedding day had been like and how nervous she'd been that day.

"I got so nervous I nearly called the whole thing off."

"Really?" Bella asked

"Mmhmm, but then my mother grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me and said '_Stop this nonsense! A few butterflies is no reason to call off a wedding. Every girl gets nervous on her wedding day; it's perfectly normal. Now you stop fretting and just remember how much you and Harry love each other and you'll be just fine.'_ "

Sue continued to tell stories about her marriage to Harry over the years and she offered advice to Bella on how to work through the difficult times.

"Now every marriage has a few bumps here and there, but you just have to stick with it and work things out. I think as long as you love each other and keep putting in the effort that's needed to make a marriage work ….. I think you'll be alright. And you have to remember that men thinking differently than we do and they really are clueless about a lot of things; he'll say or do something to make you mad and chances are he won't even realize what he's done, so you have to remember to communicate. If he does something to upset you or hurt your feelings then you have to let him know; a marriage without good communication is absolutely doomed."

Bella was so grateful to Sue for what she was doing and she tried not to think about how much it hurt her that her mother wasn't the one here giving the advice; then again, she probably didn't want any 'advice' her mother might think to give her anyway.

A few hours later, Claire arrived with her mother and Quil in tow.

"I'm so excited!" Claire squealed as she skipped into the kitchen to have her hair done

The little girl continued to bounce in her seat, ignoring Sue's pleas to be still so that she wouldn't be burned by the curling iron.

Claire's mother snapped pictures of her daughter once she was in her dress and the tiara was placed atop her head.

"Look Mommy! I'm a pwincess!" She squealed, twirling around the room

"Prettiest princess ever." Her mother replied with a smile

After a few more pictures her mother left to head to the clearing.

* * *

Time seemed to fly by and before she knew it, she was being helped into her wedding dress. She looked at herself in the full length mirror that hung on the back of her and Paul's door and she almost couldn't believe how beautiful she looked.

"Paul's a lucky man." Sue said as she moved to stand in front of Bella, dabbing gently at her eyes, so as not to mess up the makeup

"Thank you so much for being here today Sue, it really means a lot to me."

"It was no problem Bella; I'm more than happy to be here."

"Bella your Dad's here!" Angela hollered from downstairs

Bella sucked in a deep breath and opened the door.

Charlie stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Bella to come down. He was staring at his shoes when he felt a nudge to his side and looked up to see Angela, Kim and Emily pointing to the stairs; he turned and gasped as he caught sight of his baby girl.

Now normally it took a lot to make Charlie cry, but seeing his baby girl coming down those stairs in her wedding dress well, that was enough to bring him to tears.

"You look beautiful Bells." He said as he pulled her into his arms once she reached the bottom of the stairs

"Thank you Daddy; you look pretty handsome yourself." She said, stepping back and looking at him in his tux

"Can't believe my little girls all grown-up." He smiled sadly

"No matter how grown-up I get, I'll always be your little girl." She smiled in reply, trying to keep herself from crying

Sue and the other girls looked on at the scene fondly and they really hated to interrupt but they had to get going.

"Belly you so pretty!" Claire gasped from her place in Quil's arms

"Thank you Claire." Bella smiled, as she kissed her on the cheek

"Lookin good Bells." Quil grinned

"We better get going." Angela said as she looked at the clock

They all filed out of the house, Sue walking a bit faster so that she could get there and get seated before everything really started.

Charlie guided Bella along the designated path that Paul had marked for them, knowing Bella wouldn't remember the way on her own.

"Have you seen Paul today?" Bella asked her father as they walked

"Yep, I helped him and the other guys set stuff up this morning."

"Would you happen to know what he's wearing?" She asked

"I do, but he told me not to tell you." Charlie grinned as Bella huffed

As they reached the edge of the path that would lead them to the clearing, Bella spotted Sam, Jacob and Jared waiting there.

"You look beautiful." Jacob said as he quickly hugged Bella before going to stand with Angela

"You ready?" Charlie asked as they stood behind the bridesmaids and groomsmen

"About as ready as I'm going to be." She sighed; trying to calm the nerves that had decided now was a good time to go haywire

* * *

**A/N: Review and let me know what you think.  
**


	54. Chapter 54

**Disclaimer: None of the songs used in this chapter belong to me.**

* * *

Paul watched from his place beside Billy, who, as current Chief of the tribe, would be officiating the ceremony, as the bridesmaid and groomsmen made their way up the aisle. He smiled fondly at Claire as she practically skipped down the aisle throwing flowers everywhere. He watched as the bridesmaids and groomsmen came down the aisle but he barely took notice of what the girls looked like in their dresses and he certainly didn't pay attention to the guys; his eyes were focused on Bella as her and Charlie came into view. It turns out Elijah had been right about the tears, because before Paul had even realized his eyes were clouding with them, the tears were rolling down his cheeks; his little swan had never looked more beautiful than she did now.

Bella had been doing a pretty good job of keeping her tears in check as she walked down the aisle with her father, but as soon as she realized that the tux Paul was wearing was the one she'd been eyeballing, tears were gathering and she couldn't stop them from falling. Had he known that was the tux she'd wanted him in or was it just coincidence; either way it didn't really matter because he looked even better than she'd imagined.

To Paul and Bella, it seemed to take forever for her to reach him and once she did, Paul had to restrain himself from taking her into his arms and kissing her senseless.

As Charlie placed Bella's hand in Paul's he knew that he couldn't have asked for a better man for his daughter, so with a kiss to Bella's cheek and a smile, he moved to take his seat.

Neither Paul nor Bella paid a whole lot of attention to the words Billy spoke, they just repeated after him when asked, their eyes never straying from each other. Finally the time came for Paul to slide the ring onto Bella's finger and a smile bigger than any Bella had ever seen, spread across his face; a few seconds later and Bella was sliding a ring onto Paul's finger as well. When Billy told them that they could kiss, Paul pulled Bella closer to him, his hands moving to cup her cheeks as he stared into her eyes.

"I love you Mrs. Meraz." He whispered as he pressed his lips to hers

It was like they'd floated off into their own little world where only the two of them existed; they didn't hear the clapping or Billy clearing his throat once the kiss had gone from chaste to heated. Finally the need for air became too much and they were forced to separate.

"About time." Billy laughed

Bella blushed and Paul ran a hand across her cheek.

"My beautiful, blushing bride." He smiled softly

He grabbed her hand in his and then led her back down the aisle and down the path that would lead them out of the clearing.

Bella was surprised to see Paul's mustang sitting there when they emerged from the path; she turned to Paul with a questioning look.

"One of the guys snuck off to get it during the ceremony." He explained

"Oh, I didn't notice anyone had left." She replied

He helped her into the car and then moved around to his side. They headed off to the council hall where the reception was being held; their hands intertwined the entire way.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Paul Meraz!" Embry shouted from his spot at the DJ booth

Once husband and wife had taken their seat, everyone else did as well and dinner was served. After dinner, it was time for the toast and so Charlie stood from his seat and cleared his throat.

"Umm, I'm Bella's Dad, but I'm pretty sure everybody here already knew that," He chuckled nervously "I remember the day Bella was born and the doctor placed her in my arms; so tiny and fragile, I thought for sure I'd break her. I stared down at her and swore no boy would ever get anywhere near my precious little girl; course we see how well that worked out." He chuckled and everybody laughed along with him "No father ever thinks the boy his little girl decides to marry his good enough for her, and I was no exception to this; I spent many a nights cleaning my shotgun, just waiting for Paul to break her heart, but he never did. And after a few months I realized that my little girl might have actually found herself a pretty good man and I wouldn't be needing my shotgun after all. Paul you've turned out to be a great man, and I don't think I could've picked a better husband for Bella if I'd tried. My greatest wish for the two of you is that through the years your love for each other will deepen and grow, that years from now you will look back on this day, your wedding day, as the day you loved each other the least. I love you both and I wish you a happy life together. To Paul and Bella!" He said raising his glass

Next up to make a toast was Angela and after her came Jared.

"Paul, Bella if you two could come to the dance floor for your first dance as husband and wife." Embry requested

Bella's eyes went wide at this and she started to panic.

"Paul! We forget to pick a song!"

Paul just smiled and grabbed her hand, "I took care of it."

"You did?" She asked

"Mmhmm…. I hope you like the song I picked."

As they stood in the middle of the dance floor, Bella looked up at Paul and smiled.

"I love you wolf boy." She whispered

"And I love you little swan."

The music began to play and Paul led Bella into their first dance as husband and wife.

_I've been a walking heartache_

_I've made a mess of me_

_The person that I've been lately_

_Ain't who I wanna be_

_But you stay here right beside me_

_Watch as the storm goes through_

_And I need you_

_God gave me you for the ups and downs_

_God gave me you for the days of doubt_

_For when I think I've lost my way_

_There are no words here left to say, it's true_

_God gave me you_

_There's more here than what were seeing_

_A divine conspiracy_

_That you, an angel lovely_

_Could somehow fall for me_

_You'll always be love's great martyr_

_Ill be the flattered fool_

_And I need you_

_God gave me you for the ups and downs_

_God gave me you for the days of doubt_

_For when I think I've lost my way_

_There are no words here left to say, it's true_

_God gave me you_

_On my own I'm only_

_Half of what I could be_

_I can't do without you_

_We are stitched together_

_And what love has tethered_

_I pray we never undo_

_God gave me you for the ups and downs_

_God gave me you for the days of doubt_

_God gave me you for the ups and downs_

_God gave me you for the days of doubt_

_For when I think I've lost my way_

_There are no words here left to say, it's true_

_God gave me you, gave me you_

_Gave me you_

_[God Gave Me You – Blake Shelton]_

By the time the song was over, Bella was in tears and Paul was pulling tissues out of his pockets for her to wipe her eyes with.

"That was perfect." She cried

"Chief Swan, make your way to the dance floor please!" Embry called out

Charlie turned red as he made his way to the dance floor.

Bella smiled at her father as she was handed off to him and Paul went back to his seat.

"Paul asked me to pick out the song for the father-daughter dance, I hope you like it." He smiled nervously

The music began to play and Bella laid her head on her father's shoulder as they swayed.

_Just once upon a yesterday  
I held you in my arms.  
You grew into a little girl  
With lovely childhood charms.  
Now it seems I only turned around and I see you by his side.  
Oh I can't believe my eyes today,  
My daughter is a bride._

_I guess somehow I always knew_  
_This day would soon be here._  
_Still I wonder as I look at you what became of all the years._  
_And no words could ever quite express_  
_The way I feel inside._  
_Oh I can't believe my eyes today,_  
_My daughter is a bride._

_All the laughter and the tear drops,_  
_The sunshine and the rain._  
_I would re-live every moment dear,_  
_If I could bring them all back again._  
_And now my love, the time has come_  
_To send you on your way._  
_So I wish you well and happiness_  
_And the blessings of this day._  
_And I hope the love I've given you will forever be your guide._

_Oh I can't believe my eyes today,_  
_My daughter._  
_Oh I can't believe my eyes,_  
_My daughter._  
_Oh my angel and my pride._  
_My daughter is a bride._  
_Oh I can't believe my eyes._  
_Oh I can't believe my eyes._  
_Oh I can't believe my eyes._  
_Oooooo ooooo._  
_Can't believe my eyes._

_[A Song for My Daughter – Ray Allaire]_

"I love you Daddy." Bella smiled as tears once again flowed down her cheeks

"And I love you Bells."

After their father-daughter dance was over, it was time to cut the cake.

* * *

Paul and Bella both were astounded by how well the cake had turned out.

"Oh Sue, it's absolutely perfect!" Bella gushed as she pulled Sue into a hug

After the cake was cut and then devoured, mostly by the pack, people ventured out onto the dance floor. Paul and Bella chose to just down and relax while everyone else had their fun.

"I don't think I've told you yet, but you look very handsome in your tux." Bella said leaning into Paul

"And you look absolutely gorgeous in this dress." He grinned, pulling her in for a kiss

They spent the next half hour or so in silence, just watching everyone dancing and making fools of themselves.

"Alright guys, it's time for the bride and groom's last dance of the night." Embry announced

"Another one?" Bella groaned

"Come on Swan." Paul laughed

"It's Meraz now." She replied with a smirk

Paul turned to face her and pulled her into his arms, "Hmmm, it is isn't it…."

"Come on you two, you've got plenty of time to make goo-goo eyes at each other later." Jared said as she shoved them towards the dance floor

Paul glared at Jared for a brief second before turning his attention back to Bella.

Neither of them paid much attention to the words of the song; to lost in each other to pay attention to what was going on around them.

After the last note of the song played, Paul and Bella kissed while everyone else clapped and cheered.

Soon they were leaving the council hall and getting into Paul's car. The drive back to their house was silent and neither of them felt the need to speak.

* * *

When they came to a stop in front of the house, Paul turned to Bella and smiled.

Bella grinned and quickly got out of the car and raced for the front door.

"Hold on there, Mrs. Meraz." Paul said as he scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the house

He used his foot to shut the door and then carried Bella upstairs and laid her down on their bed

"Ready to find out if married sex is better?" He asked as he climbed on top of her

Bella giggled and pulled him down into a searing kiss.

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it guys... the end of Kiss or Kill. I'd like to thank everyone who has stuck with this story from the very beginning, you guys have been awesome and I really appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and added this story to their favorites and an extra special thank you to those people that have added this to their communities. I've had a lot of fun writing this story and I hope you guys will stay tuned for the sequel.**

**There will be links to the songs on my profile; as well as links for everything wedding related.**

**I will now be focusing my attention on finishing my story 'Destined for Weird' and only once that is finished will I move on to the sequel for 'Kiss or Kill'.**


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